Everlasting Love
by The Forgotten Lover
Summary: What if Alice and Bella knew each other when Alice was human,in 1920? They discovered love as humans,but when Mary Alice and Isabella are torn apart,what happens when they find out they've both been "turned" in present day? Will time carry their love? A/B
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I had this idea that wouldn't leave me alone. It's been a while since I wrote Alice/Bella but I think this story is different from what I've written in the past, which made me want to write it out. The story starts out in 1920, Biloxi, when Alice or Mary Alice (as she was called at the time) was still a human. I'm writing Bella (Isabella) also as human during this time. They fall in love as humans, but when Mary Alice is taken away to the mental asylum and eventually "turned" she forgets everything about Isabella and her human life. Isabella however remembers, and is "turned" at another point in her life. Going through all the years as an immortal proves lonely for Isabella, as she never got over Mary Alice. What happens when she sees Mary Alice in present day, also an immortal? Will Alice remember her past or anything about Bella? Will their love survive their time apart, especially when Alice has no memory of her human life? **

**I think that's enough rambling about the story, there wasn't enough space in the summary to explain properly. I'm just posting this first chapter to see if it's interesting to anyone. The idea wouldn't leave my mind until I posted. :) I hope you enjoy, let me know what you think. If I should continue or not.**

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><p>It was the spring of 1920 when Mary Alice Brandon discovered she was in love with her neighbor and best friend, Isabella Swan. She had only known Isabella for a few months, because her family had just moved to Biloxi. As the days passed, Mary Alice and Isabella's bond grew stronger, only making Mary Alice more aware of her love for her friend.<p>

She watched from her own yard as Isabella and her father Charlie were moving things from their automobile, into their house. Mary Alice was curious as to what they were moving, but her thoughts and eyes were mainly on Isabella. She remembered when she first saw Isabella up close; she couldn't catch her breath afterward. Mary Alice had a feeling about her that she couldn't shrug off about Isabella, she knew from the first time she laid eyes on her, she was someone special.

She envied how happy Isabella's family looked. The thought of her own father, and step mother made Mary Alice sick to her stomach. She wasn't treated fairly by either one of them; her little sister was the cream of the crop. Mary Alice didn't understand why her father and step mother praised her little sister more than they had her. She was only trying to warn everyone with her premonitions, why didn't anyone believe her? They feared Mary Alice, when they should've believed her.

Mary Alice had been thought of as odd by her family and the townspeople…those who knew her anyway. Then again, who would forget the freak of the town? It wasn't hard to miss Mary Alice, not when rumors spread faster than wildfire around Biloxi.

So Mary Alice naturally spent most of her time alone. She secluded herself from her family as much as she could, and spent most of her time in the woods, not too far away from her home. Although there wasn't a heavily wooded area near Biloxi, she still had the untouched trees that were behind her house. There was also the gulf, where Mary Alice liked to go and watch the sunrise in the early hours of the morning. She was in love with nature, and always wanted to learn more about it. She loved watching various creatures of nature from afar. She dare not disturb the animals; she didn't want to frighten them away. At times, Mary Alice thought the animals were the only creatures that would be willing to go near her.

Mary Alice didn't want to be near her family. The premonitions she had about her father had scared her, to the point where she was afraid for her life. Mary Alice's mother was killed not too long ago, and Mary Alice was sure her father had something to do with it. Her father had seemed so angry and violent when she brought it up; she felt it was best to stay away from him as much as possible. She had hoped that as long as she was quiet about her premonitions, her life would be safe. To say that her father had a part to do with murdering her own mother wasn't to be spoken of. He would certainly try to kill Mary Alice before she got the chance to tell anyone. So she was trapped, and here is where Mary Alice was now.

She often felt that her life would come to an end soon, if something didn't happen to shed light on what her father and step mother had done. It was only a matter of time, but Mary Alice didn't know what to do about it. As long as she kept quiet, she would get to keep breathing.

Mary Alice watched from a distance as Isabella moved from the automobile to the door of her house. She was helping her mother Renee move new kitchen supplies into their house. Mary Alice knew her obsession with Isabella wasn't normal. She had rarely heard of a woman loving another woman, and it was considered blasphemy to think of such things. Mary Alice didn't care what anyone thought about her though, she was already a freak to everyone around, loving another woman wasn't going to make a difference. However, no one knew about her love for Isabella, not even Isabella herself. Mary Alice was afraid that if she spoke of her true feelings to Isabella, she would scare her off. Isabella was all that she had as far as friends went; she didn't want to ruin anything.

Mary Alice walked out of her yard and took a few steps closer towards the house, staying behind the fence line, and out on the dirt road. Although they lived in Biloxi, they were far enough away from town to still be out in the country side. Mary Alice preferred it this way, the less people making remarks about her, the better.

Her hands were playing with the wooden fence posts as she walked along the path of the dirt road. Her forehead was sticky with sweat from the naturally humid climate. Her long hair didn't help keep her cool either, and she often had the urge to cut it all off. Mary Alice was used to ignoring the sweat that formed on her body; she wasn't bothered by it. She was dressed in a plain white sun dress and began to hum outside of the house as she slowly passed by. This was how she saw her premonition, she would be walking slowly by, and Isabella would come out, smiling. Mary Alice loved the way Isabella smiled; there was nothing more beautiful in her eyes.

At that moment, the Isabella came walking out of her house, carelessly brushing away the bead of sweat that was currently running down the side of her cheek. Mary Alice stopped in her tracks and stared at her, she was stunning. She had been so caught up in staring at Isabella; she hadn't realized that Isabella was now staring directly at her with a curious expression on her face.

Mary Alice stared at the beauty in front of her as she tried to collect her thoughts in order to say something. Mary Alice lifted up her hand, and gave a friendly wave, "Hello, how are you doing this evening Isabella?"

Isabella smiled from the distance between them, and shyly walked over toward Mary Alice. "I'm doing well. How about yourself Mary Alice?" Her voice was soft, and sweet. The sound of her voice alone sent shivers down Mary Alice's spine.

"I'm great. I was wondering if you'd like to go on a walk with me, or are you busy?" Mary Alice asked, looking past Isabella for just a second, and looking inside of her house. Her parents could be seen in the kitchen together laughing. A dull ache could be felt in Mary Alice's chest, but she ignored it and turned her attention back to Isabella.

"I think I'm finished, just let me check with my father first." Isabella touched Mary Alice's hand, and as she did, Mary Alice felt a jolt of energy flow through her. There was no denying the fact that she loved Isabella.

"I'll be right here waiting." Mary Alice smiled, enjoying the small talk between the two girls. She watched as Isabella walked back into her house.

Mary Alice waited in anticipation as Isabella was inside her house. She was afraid her parents had heard about how Mary Alice was regarded in Biloxi, and forbid them from being friends. She expected this everyday she spoke to Isabella, but her parents never said anything. A few more seconds passed by, and Isabella came back out of her house with her father by her side. She had a smile on her face as she approached Mary Alice once again.

Mary Alice smiled, and tried to be as polite and respectful as she could, "Good afternoon Mr. Swan, how are you doing?"

She wasn't sure what reaction she was going to get out of Mr. Swan, but when he smiled, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. "It's nice to know you have such good manners, there isn't much of that back north. I'm doing just fine Mary Alice."

Mary Alice nodded her head, "I was just wondering if it would be alright to go on a walk with Isabella before it gets too late. It's such a beautiful afternoon."

Mr. Swan looked between the two girls, and could tell that Isabella was eager to go. "I don't see why not, it'll be nice for Isabella to have a break from helping us out. She's worked hard today. Have fun, and don't be home too late Isabella. Supper will be ready shortly; you don't want your mother making it for no one."

Isabella nodded her head, "I understand, thank you dad."

Mary Alice smiled as Isabella crossed the fence line, and could be seen clearly for the first time today. She was wearing a black blouse with a loose fitting pair of slacks, which was unusual for Mary Alice to see on a woman. However, she liked the way it looked on Isabella.

Mary Alice began walking down the side of the road with Isabella right beside her. As they passed Mary Alice's house, she explained to Isabella, "My dad has gotten worse. I don't know how safe it is to be at home anymore." Isabella was aware of Mary Alice's family situation, and she believed every word she had said.

"How long have you lived here? Have you ever considered leaving?" Isabella asked.

"I've lived here all my life. I wish I could leave though; I don't want to spend my entire life in Biloxi. I don't know how to leave, without having someone else come with me." Mary Alice commented.

Isabella only nodded her head, and smiled. Mary Alice could tell that Isabella was being shy, but she found that quality refreshing. Mary Alice was known to be outspoken at times, so maybe their personalities would end up complementing each other.

The girls were now walking in the open field next to Mary Alice's house, and headed toward the small patch of woods not too far ahead of them. "So tell me what life was like in Washington. I can only imagine the beauty of the landscape from what I've seen in photographs." Isabella's family had moved from Washington because her father had gotten a new job in Biloxi.

Isabella nodded her head and gave a big smile, "Oh yes, everything is so green and beautiful. The forests go on forever, and the animals are so beautiful. It's very cold however, and hardly ever sunny. You would love it. You know, we should go there together someday. If I had a choice, I would've stayed behind in Washington."

"If you had stayed in Washington, how would I ever get to know you?' Mary Alice questioned, pretending to be upset.

"I'm sure we would've met somehow. People meet for a reason, and if we hadn't of met now, maybe we would've met in another life." Isabella commented, getting closer to Mary Alice.

"Where things would be normal for me, where I was accepted and had a loving family." Mary Alice continued. They had reached the small patch of woods behind Mary Alice's house, and headed for the small creek that they liked to sit at.

"I wish it was better for you. It's not fair, not at all. I would take you away if I could." Isabella moved to a large group of rocks on the side of the creek, and sat on top of them, watching Mary Alice skip stones into the water.

"In a different world, everything would be better." Mary Alice said as she threw a stone violently into the water, watching it sink instead of skip. She turned from the creek and stared at Isabella who was just looking at Mary Alice with a smile.

Mary Alice instantly smiled when she saw Isabella, "What are you smiling about?"

"You have no idea how to skip stones, do you?" Isabella teased.

"Oh, hush you!" Mary Alice poked Isabella on the side, making her jump. This caused Mary Alice's smile to widen even more when she poked Isabella again.

"No, please Mary Alice. Don't tickle me. I can't stand it!" Isabella smiled, instantly coming out of her shell.

Mary Alice paid no attention to Isabella's plea to not be tickled, instead she moved closer to Isabella with her hands extended. Isabella jumped up from her position on the rocks, and moved toward the creek, trying to get away.

Mary Alice pounced on Isabella before she got away, grabbing hold of her arms with one arm, and tickling her sides with her free arm. Isabella began shrieking with laughter, trying her best to get away from Mary Alice's grip.

Isabella moved fast, and in an attempt to grab hold of her once more, Mary Alice ran after her, even when Isabella went into the creek a few steps, that wasn't going to stop Mary Alice. Isabella stopped to see where Mary Alice was, and when she turned around she was met with Mary Alice's tiny body crashing into her own, causing both girls to fall into the water. Their bodies were wrapped around each other in the water as the both tried to get up and breathe.

Isabella came up soaking wet and laughing. Mary Alice pushed the wet hair out of her own face, and saw Isabella laughing, which in turn made herself laugh. It had been so long since Mary Alice could just be herself; Isabella seemed to bring out the best in her without even trying. Isabella stopped laughing for a second, and turned her attention to Mary Alice, who was smiling like a fool. This only caused Isabella to begin laughing once more.

"We're soaking wet! What am I going to tell my parents?" Isabella attempted to get up out of the water, but only stumbled into Mary Alice, and landed right on top of her. Mary Alice chuckled, and pulled Isabella closer to her, loving the proximity of Isabella's body and her own.

"You can always take them off and let it dry in the sun before you go home." Mary Alice suggested, not wanting it to sound sexual, but still somehow thought it was.

Isabella turned from her position in Mary Alice's lap and said, "I think I should be fine letting it dry if I keep my clothes on Mary Alice."

"Taking them off will make them dry faster." Mary Alice's cheeks turned a slight shade of red.

Isabella raised her eyebrows and chuckled as she got off of Mary Alice's lap, and went back to the shore. Mary Alice watched Isabella get up, noticing that her clothes were now clinging to every inch of her body. She swallowed hard and tried to tear her eyes away from Isabella, she didn't want to get caught looking.

By the time Isabella had turned around to face Mary Alice, she was getting out of the water. The thing is when you wear white and it gets wet, you see whatever is underneath. It just so happened that Mary Alice was wearing a white sundress, and what appeared to be a white _brassiere__._

Isabella saw everything, and was stunned. She couldn't get herself to look away. Mary Alice had no idea what Isabella was looking at, because she didn't realize until she looked down and saw it herself. Mary Alice stopped in her tracks and blushed madly. "I'm sorry; I had no idea it was going to show like this. Let me just cover up with something."

Mary Alice walked up to the shore, and pulled the clinging fabric away from her chest, in order for her breasts to stop showing, but Isabella stopped her. She placed her hand on Mary Alice's arm, and pulled it away from her shirt. "You don't have to hide from me, it's okay." Isabella said quietly, looking down at Mary Alice's shirt.

Water slowly dripped down Isabella's face as Mary Alice stared in fascination at the girl in front of her. She saw sincerity and what she hoped was desire in Isabella's eyes. Mary Alice pulled Isabella closer, and in one sweet instant closed the distance between their lips with a kiss.

She couldn't help it, the urge and desire was too strong. She had to know what it felt like, and it felt amazing. In that one second she felt bliss. It was a soft and sweet kiss, and she swore Isabella kissed her back.

Their bliss only lasted for a few seconds, Isabella pulled away with a curious expression on her face. Mary Alice didn't know what to say, her actions had already spoke so much. Isabella touched her lips and stared down at Mary Alice without saying a word. She didn't regret kissing Isabella, but the anticipation of how Isabella was going to react was torture.

"I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me. I can't say I haven't wanted to do that for a long time though." Mary Alice said, spilling her secret out in the open.

Isabella just stared with a dreamy look upon her face. "I think I need to go home Mary Alice. My parents are going to be looking for me."

Mary Alice's heart dropped at Isabella's words, was this rejection? Did she just ruin their friendship? With all the courage she could muster, Mary Alice smiled weakly and replied, "I understand. I hope to see you again soon."

Isabella nodded her head awkwardly, and took a few steps away, before turning back to look at Mary Alice. It looked as if Isabella was going to say something, but she didn't. Instead she walked away, pulling at the fabric of her clothes in order to dry them off before she got home.

Mary Alice stood there, watching as Isabella walked away. It seems as though Mary Alice just lost a good friend. She hoped that Isabella could forgive her, or perhaps Mary Alice could explain that it was just a friendly kiss. Maybe there would be another chance to keep Isabella as a friend, but right now Mary Alice doubted it.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a few days since Isabella last spoke to Mary Alice. This served to make Mary Alice very upset, as anyone would be in a situation like this. Isabella apparently didn't like what Mary Alice had done, that much was obvious. Now she had lost her friend, her only friend. She was left alone with her thoughts once more, seeing that the rest of her family saw her as an outcast.

So it was a particularly hot night when Mary Alice lay awake in bed, wondering why she had to kiss Isabella. Her window had been opened to let the cool breeze in. The sound of crickets and other nocturnal creatures were heard in the distant. The noise only made her stay up longer, with constant thoughts of Isabella going through her head.

_She is only across the road, not that far away. Why can't I just go ask her for forgiveness? I don't want to lose my friend. I don't have anything else but her. I can say it was a mistake, or an accident. Maybe she will believe me then. _Mary Alice thought as she held back tears. Frustration and heat made Mary Alice throw the blanket off of her body, and punch the pillow to a more comfortable position. Anger threatened to spill out of her, but she had to keep it in for her own good. Lashing out at all the wrong things in her life would do her no good. It would only bring unwanted attention to her, and right now that was the last thing she needed.

_Why is it wrong to show someone that you care about them? Why does it matter whether I love a girl or not? _ Mary Alice continued to ramble in her brain about what was so wrong, that she didn't hear something moving around outside her window.

The rest of her house was quiet, as everyone else had gone to bed. Mary Alice was lucky enough to have a room of her own, though the only reason she had one of her own was because her little sister was given a bigger room. Her step mother and father didn't want the girls to share a room, and Mary Alice was perfectly fine with that.

Mary Alice wiped the small bead of sweat that formed on her forehead, and tried to close her eyes in attempt to sleep once more. This proved to be useless, especially when she realized there was someone standing outside of her window. Her eyes shot open at the sound of leaves crunching, and she lifted her head up toward the window to see what it was.

_Maybe it's just an animal. _Mary Alice thought, a feeling of fear starting to form.

"Mary Alice?" A soft whisper came from among the crickets in the night. The soft and innocent voice caused any sense of fear to vanish, whoever it was, certainly wasn't going to try and kill her.

Mary Alice sat up in bed, now squinting to see who was outside. The moon was bright enough to shine through her window, and that's when she saw long flowing hair appear in the corner of her window. Light brown eyes were staring back at Mary Alice. The wind blew Isabella's scent inside the room. Immediately Mary Alice leaped for joy, and a smiled appeared on her face as she answered Isabella.

"I'm in here." Mary Alice whispered, moving her hand around for emphasis. She had to be sure to be quiet so she wouldn't wake up her family. Who knows what they would do if they caught Isabella in Mary Alice's room at this time of night. Although they knew nothing of her love for Isabella, they still didn't like visitors coming in at the dead of night; especially when the visitor was for Mary Alice.

Isabella's head popped up at the base of the window, she was crouching down beneath it as if to cover herself from the other windows.

"What are you doing down there?" Mary Alice asked, honestly shocked at Isabella's presence.

"I needed to talk to you, and I couldn't wait any longer. May I come in?" Isabella asked as she finally stood up and looked inside. She had never seen Mary Alice's room, but from the looks of it she could see why she hadn't been invited. The room was bare except for a bed in the corner, and a small desk on the other side of the room.

Mary Alice came closer to the window to meet Isabella's gaze. Isabella was taken aback when Mary Alice's shimmering blue eyes appeared against the moon light. It was almost as if they were glowing, she had never seen someone with eyes as beautiful as Mary Alice's.

Mary Alice saw Isabella's eyes widen as she appeared next to the window, and she held out her hand for Isabella to enter. Isabella took her hand and as quietly as she could, climbed through the small hole. Mary Alice pulled hard on Isabella as she came through the window, and crashed against Mary Alice's body. This had been the second time in a matter of days where Isabella had ended up in Mary Alice's lap. She had no complaints about this, but thinking of what happened just a few days ago made Mary Alice's mood dampen a bit. She now wondered why Isabella was here in the middle of the night.

Both of the girls were quiet as they listened for sounds in the rest of the house, and when none were heard, Isabella apologized for her crash landing, "I'm sorry, I can be a tad clumsy at times."

"I've noticed." Mary Alice whispered back, watching the blush grow on Isabella's cheeks.

Isabella remained in Mary Alice's lap for a few more seconds, not realizing that she should have gotten up. Her blush only grew as she finally lifted herself up, and offered a hand to Mary Alice for support. Mary Alice stared up at Isabella for a second, before she gave Isabella her hand, and was pulled up mostly by her own doing. She didn't want Isabella to fall back out the window, especially after she just tried so hard to get in.

"I really need to talk to you Mary Alice. It's about what happened by the creek." Isabella's voice was quiet, almost as if she were afraid of what she was saying. Her eyes were turned away from Mary Alice, and were now focused on everything else but her.

Mary Alice motioned to the bed so they could both sit down and be more comfortable. Isabella saw the signal from the corner of her eye as she hesitated for a second, and sat down against the very edge. She was now fiddling with her hands, as Mary Alice curiously watched. With a more relaxed motion, Mary Alice sat down next to Isabella, and tried to get the girl to at least look at her.

"What about what happened by the creek?" Mary Alice asked in a soft voice.

Isabella sighed, and mustered up enough courage to look at Mary Alice, "What did it mean to you? When we kissed, why did you do that?"

Mary Alice wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing. Her premonitions weren't controlled or very strong, so she was clueless at which way this conversation was going to go. Isabella had to have known why Mary Alice kissed her, wasn't It obvious enough?

"I wanted to know what it felt like to kiss your lips. I was caught up in the moment, and I apologize if I upset you in anyway. Can we still…" Mary Alice was trying to finish her sentence, but Isabella interrupted her quickly.

"So you wanted to kiss me? It wasn't an accident?" Isabella's voice was rushed, as if she were searching for something specific for Mary Alice to say.

I…yes, I wanted to kiss you Isabella. I wanted to know if my imagination was right." Mary Alice replied, checking the door to see if anyone was threatening to come in.

"What do you mean by that?" Isabella asked.

"I wanted to know if your lips tasted as sweet as I imagined." Mary Alice was being rather bold by saying something like this, but she felt it was time to stop hiding from Isabella. She doubted Isabella would be as open about it as she was, but she at least deserved to know how she felt.

Isabella was quiet, but the shade of her cheeks told what she was thinking. Mary Alice watched quietly as Isabella turned as red as a beet, and pushed her hair back nervously. The bright light of the moon made the room illuminated, allowing Mary Alice to see everything Isabella was doing.

"So the kiss wasn't an accident?" Isabella asked, in a lower voice than before. It was so quiet; Mary Alice could hear the cracks in her voice. She didn't want to be heard by anyone else, and Mary Alice understood.

Mary Alice wasn't going to move closer toward Isabella, because she wasn't quite sure how she felt in return, but that wasn't going to stop her from telling the truth. "I wanted to kiss you Isabella."

Isabella nodded her head, and turned her gaze away from Mary Alice as she sat in silence for what seemed like ages. There was nothing Mary Alice could do but wait, and hope that she would say something soon. She examined Isabella closely while she waited for a response; it was obvious that the girl was nervous about something.

_Why would she be here in the middle of the night if she didn't have anything important to say? _Mary Alice thought.

A soft mumbling came from Isabella, and Mary Alice snapped out of her thoughts to hear what she had to say. Isabella dared a glance at Mary Alice, her light brown eyes full of worry as she said, "What if I liked it?"

Mary Alice wasn't sure what to say, Isabella's comment had caught her off guard because she was sure she wanted nothing to do with kissing her. _But she just admitted that she liked it…now what happens?_

"Did you really like it?" Mary Alice asked in a hopeful tone, her features instantly softening at the revelation.

Isabella nodded her head, forming the right words to say was a difficult task for Isabella, "I'm afraid to like it."

"Why? What's wrong with liking it? I really do like you a lot Isabella, more than I should, but I'm not afraid to show you." Mary Alice pressed her hand on Isabella's thigh, to which Isabella gasped lightly, but continued speaking none the less.

"My parents would disown me if they knew how I felt about you. I shouldn't feel this way about you, it's not right to feel this way, is it?" Isabella said.

Mary Alice was becoming upset with what Isabella said, "Who says it's not right? You or everyone else? How can it be wrong if you feel what I feel? You don't realize how much I care about you Isabella. A feeling like this comes from the heart, there is nothing wrong with loving someone, now is there?"

Isabella stared at Mary Alice in silence; she wasn't sure what to say. Of course it wasn't wrong to like Mary Alice in more than a friendly way, but society frowned upon it. Mary Alice acted on impulse, placed her hand on Isabella's cheek and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Mary Alice had put everything she had into that one kiss, just so Isabella might feel half of the love she felt for the girl.

At first, Isabella resisted. She was taken off guard but when Mary Alice wasn't letting go, instinct took in, and soon Isabella was kissing Mary Alice back. The sensation of butterflies swarming formed in Isabella's stomach, and she felt a rush of warmth spread throughout her body. The softness of Mary Alice's lips kept Isabella coming back for more.

Their lips were in sync with one another as both girls fought for dominance over the other. Mary Alice easily dominated over Isabella. Mary Alice had her hands firm against Isabella's cheek, but she was now moving them down her back, pushing Isabella's warm body closer toward her. It wasn't hard to feel Isabella's hot flesh against her thin nightgown. It was almost as if she wasn't wearing anything and this excited Mary Alice more than anything. She knew she had to control herself though; it was just so hard to do.

Isabella gripped Mary Alice's shoulder as she scooted closer toward the smaller girl. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she really liked the way it made her feel. Isabella began to quiver from the sensation of kissing Mary Alice, from a combination of nerves and bliss.

Mary Alice pulled away when she felt Isabella shaking, and looked concerned, "You're shivering." Mary Alice said quietly. Her lips were red and plump from kissing Isabella, a look that was magnified by the way the moon was shining against her.

"I've…never felt like that before. I'm sorry; I don't know what has come over me." Isabella apologized.

"Did you like what just happened? Did you find it…pleasurable?" Mary Alice asked, struggling to find the right words to say.

Isabella nodded her head, "Quite pleasurable."

"I don't regret showing you how I felt. In fact, I really like what just happened. I know you felt it too." Mary Alice pushed some of Isabella's hair out of the way of her face, stroking her cheek gently along the way.

"What are my parents going to do if they find out? They'll hate me if they knew what I felt for you. I've never felt this way for anyone else."

The stress in Isabella's expression was evident, and Mary Alice understood her concern. Her parent's still loved her, it didn't matter what Mary Alice did, and her dad would still hate her. "They don't have to know. It can be our little secret."

"We don't have to tell anyone?" Isabella asked innocently.

Mary Alice shook her head, "I don't want your folks getting mad at you; you don't deserve to be treated that way. As long as we both know where our hearts belong, I don't see the harm in keeping it secret. I really do care for you Isabella; I want you to know that."

Mary Alice moved closer toward Isabella, and motioned for her to lie down against the bed. Isabella complied, and Mary Alice wrapped her arms around Isabella's body. The scent of Isabella's hair invaded Mary Alice's senses as she got lost in the intoxicating aroma.

"We can just lie here together, would you like that? I can walk you back home before the sun comes up so you won't get caught." Mary Alice suggested.

"I would love that. I wish things were different, I wish it was okay for us to…love each other." Isabella replied quietly.

"Maybe one day it will be. Someday, far and away from now, we can look back on this moment and laugh, because of how silly our fears were. It'll be okay Isabella, I promise." Mary Alice kissed the back of Isabella's head and smiled. The night turned out to be completely different than what she was expecting, but that wasn't a bad thing at all.

"That would be perfect." Isabella said with a soft yawn. Mary Alice knew she was getting tired, and it wouldn't be long before Isabella fell asleep, but Mary Alice would stay up and watch her. She would be sure Isabella made it home before anyone noticed. Isabella was so precious to Mary Alice; she was going to do everything she could to keep her from getting hurt.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks to everyone who showed interest in this fic, I hope I can keep you guys interested throughout it's entirety. :) Special thanks to my friend DaniWest, just because she is super awesome. Next chapter preview: A glimpse into the future. **


	3. Chapter 3

_Present Day_

It was at this dilapidated, old house where Mary Alice and Isabella shared their first kiss. The house had gone to hell over the many years it was left alone, not a soul had been there since the Brandon's occupied it. There were holes in the roof, the white paint on the siding was mostly gone; leaving spots of peeling amongst the few boards that remained on the frame of the house. It was evident that creatures had often rummaged through the debris of the house from the droppings they had left behind.

Bella was surprised that it still stood, no matter how beaten it had been over there years, it was still standing. She wondered why she never knocked it down after what happened; any thoughts involving that house only caused Bella heartache. As she stood off in the distance, staring at the house, she felt the urge to cry. Unfortunately for Bella, she wasn't allowed that kind of release anymore. To gain all these amazing abilities once turned, but to lose the most basic of emotional releases was almost torture for Bella.

She could only stare in silence as all the memories of her one and only love came flooding back to her in a matter of seconds. She had told herself she would never come back here, but she had broken her promise in an attempt to find out what really happened to Mary Alice after she was institutionalized. The mystery had been eating her up inside all this time.

She never heard from Mary Alice again after she was taken away on that fateful day, ripped away from Isabella's arms. She couldn't even stand to be called Isabella anymore, it was something sacred. The name Isabella was used in that moment of time, when Mary Alice was very much alive and in love with her. Now, there was nothing but a broken down house and a few graves of her relatives in the local cemetery that kept the memory of Mary Alice alive.

Bella had searched every cemetery in Biloxi, more than once in search of Mary Alice Brandon's grave, but she had never found one. That was the odd thing about it, what could have happened to Mary Alice? Was she killed at the asylum and cremated instead of buried? Did she move to another town without another word to Bella about her existence? Why would she do that to Bella?

This was what Bella was searching for. She had to know what happened to Mary Alice. She had all the time in the world to discover what happened to Mary Alice, and she was determined to find out the truth. It wasn't like Mary Alice was still alive, and if she was, she would be well over 100 years old, very unlikely to remember anything about Isabella.

Bella stared at the house for a while longer, holding in her dry sobs, and pulled out a small wallet. Inside of this wallet had a few driver licenses, all with Bella's face, but each with different identities. Bella went past all the fake ID's and various bits of paper on leads about Mary Alice, and pulled out a very old photograph. It was a picture of Bella and Mary Alice sitting together, hand in hand, beneath the shade of an oak tree. Bella could remember that moment like it happened yesterday. That was another problem with being immortal, you rarely forget anything. At least, that's how Bella saw it. She remembered the entirety of her human life, and immortal life. She found it hard to remember what year she was in though, all of it sort of became one big blur to her.

It was her intention to look up the old asylum records on Mary Alice, and find out what had happened to her during their time apart. She desperately wanted to find out what happened to her love, and then maybe she could put the past behind her and move on. The thought of moving on from Mary Alice made Bella's heart sting. She didn't want to move on from Mary Alice, and she would have given anything just to go back in time and save her from that asylum. It was so ironic that when Bella wanted nothing more than to die while human, she gets turned into an immortal. Sure, Bella had met other immortals in her existence, but she never really wanted anything to do with them. They were kind, and offered her to join them, but she always refused, claiming that she would only bring them down eventually.

Cynthia, Mary Alice's sister was the only remaining connection Bella found, but Cynthia had passed away a few years back. However, Cynthia had a daughter, and Bella spotted her a couple of months before. She looked very similar to Mary Alice; it almost made her heart break at the sight. She wished so bad that it was Mary Alice, but Bella knew that was just wishful thinking. So Bella had been watching Cynthia's daughter from afar for a long time now, just so she could see someone who resembled Alice. Bella soon realized that Cynthia must not have told anything to her daughter about an older sister, there was no record of Mary Alice anywhere.

Bella needed to get the asylum records out of the institution, but how could she when she wasn't directly related to Mary Alice? Of course, Bella had the option of breaking in at night, or perhaps she could forge her identity. Either way, she was going to get those records.

She now stood outside the mental institution where Mary Alice reportedly had gone. It was a cloudy day when Bella finally had the courage, and fake ID, to get into the hospital. She would claim that she was a distant relative, seeking more information about her family history. It seemed plausible. The fact that Bella looked stunning, now that she was a vampire, she found it easy to get humans to do as she asked.

She took one deep breath to make it more lifelike, and went inside the hospital. The first thing Bella noticed was the room temperature was unusually cold, but this was most likely normal for hospital settings. It didn't make a difference to Bella, the air just felt less warm than it had been before. She didn't feel cold anymore. The walls were obviously repainted, and the previous cracks of the old building had been sealed up. There must have been numerous times where the building had been remodeled, but the fact remained that it was still a mental institution, no matter how cozy they tried to make it.

Bella found the information desk right in the center of the building, so she approached it carefully, going over the speech she had prepared in her head. Once she approached the small man behind the desk, she could tell by the way he looked at her that she was probably going to get the records without a problem.

"How may I help you today?" The man nervously asked, looking down the length of Bella's body.

It was time for Bella to put on her act, "I've come looking for my great aunt's records. I was told she came to this institution in the 20's and I was wondering if I could have a copy of them. I'm doing a research paper on my family history, and I thought having records of my great aunt would surely get me an A. Can you assist me with that?" Bella smiled, and edged closer toward the man.

"Uh…do you have identification? I can make a copy of any records as long as there is proof that you are her relative. I also need to know the patients name so I can check and see if we still have her records on file." The clerk smiled nervously at Bella, afraid he would say something wrong to upset the beautiful woman in front of him.

"Of course, and her name is Mary Alice Brandon." Bella reached in her pocket, and pulled out her wallet. She pulled out the first fake ID she had, which happened to have Bella Brandon written on it. She had learned to make a fake ID fast over the years, it was almost impossible to prove it was fake.

The man took the ID out of Bella's hand, and fumbled when he actually brushed his hand against hers. He glanced at the ID quickly, and gave it back to Bella without another question. She wasn't sure if he really looked at it, or not. "If you'll just have a seat Ms. Brandon, I'll page someone to copy those records for you."

Bella nodded her head and smiled at the thought of having Brandon as her last name, "Thank you so much." She walked quietly to the side of the hallway and took a seat on one of the wooden chairs left there for visitors. As she waited, she noticed the gentleman at the desk was staring at her. She was used to people staring at her, but the only thing she did about it was ignore it. She didn't want anyone's attention, but in situations like this, it proved to be useful.

She glanced around the building, staring up at the ceiling which seemed to hold its old appearance. She tried looking down the hallway at the rooms, but wasn't able to see much, not from her position. She could hear various people talking with her enhanced hearing, but the things they were saying were very unpleasant. She imagined what it must have been like for Mary Alice to be here, and wondered what kind of things she thought of when she was surrounded by nothing but four walls of pain.

A few minutes had passed, and the man never took his eyes off of Bella. An orderly approached the man from behind with a small stack of papers, and what Bella assumed to be Mary Alice's records. The orderly handed the records to the man behind the desk, as she glanced over in Bella's direction. Bella in return smiled pleasantly at the woman, trying to look as innocent as she could. The trick worked because now the orderly was looking at her with dreamy eyes. If Bella only knew what the orderly was thinking, but she had an idea of what it pertained to.

"Miss Brandon, if you'll come here we can have you sign off for the records, and you'll be good to go." The orderly spoke before the man had a chance.

Bella nodded her head, and approached the two humans slowly. "You don't know how much I appreciate all of this. I've always wondered what happened to my great aunt Mary Alice." Bella was speaking as she quickly signed off for the copies of Mary Alice's records.

"It was my pleasure." The orderly replied, handing the small folder over to Bella. Their hands brushed against each other briefly as Bella took the folder, and she heard the orderly gasp. Before the orderly had a chance to say something, Bella had already turned around and was walking away. She already knew the orderly had gasped because Bella was so cold; it was a normal thing Bella had to go through now.

She wasn't going to stick around and listen to another human go on about how cold she was, and then continuously flirt with her. She just wanted to know what happened to Mary Alice, maybe once she found out, she would find peace, and would be able to move on. Bella highly doubted she would ever truly be able to move on though.

As soon as she got far enough away from the asylum, she tore open the folder in hopes to finding out what exactly happened to Mary Alice. There was an image of Mary Alice, with most of her hair cut off. Bella stared at the image, almost as if she wanted Mary Alice to be staring back at her. It had been such a long time since she had seen her face, and to see it now in front of her made Bella want to cry. She would never get to see that same beautiful face again; Bella moved on to the actual record, not wanting to get too caught up in her emotions. She scanned the text quickly, in a desperate attempt for an answer.

A few keys words and sentences had stuck out to Bella as she continued to read.

_Mary Alice Brandon_

_Age: 19_

_Ethnicity: Caucasian/White_

_Hometown: Biloxi, Mississippi_

_History of Mental Disorders:_

_Schizophrenia _

_Hallucinations_

_Detached from current situation, lives in own world_

_Characteristics:_

_When first arrived, patient was very hostile. Kept claiming someone by the name of Isabella would find her and get her out of the hospital. As treatments progressed, the patient forgot of Isabella, who never came. Isabella was presumed a character made up by Mary Alice. Electric Shock Therapy proved useful in getting rid of the imaginary character. Once treatment had begun, Mary Alice became charming, and kind. Therapy seemed to help Miss Brandon immensely with her hallucinations, and her overall attitude. _

_Treatment Given:_

_Electric Shock Therapy_

_ Note: Patient has severe memory loss; all thoughts of her past seem to have vanished due to therapy_

_Released: Patient was never released, escaped ward with Doctor Hunter in November of 1920. Was never found, Doctor Hunter was never found in order for charges to be pressed. There is no sign of Miss Brandon in the entire state of Mississippi, presumed dead. _

_Visitors: None allowed for particular patient. Memory loss served to make not having visitors easier on patient._

_Treatment was successful for imaginary characters, but not for her visions. Patient was never cured completely._

Bella stared at the sheet of paper in front of her, reading it over and over again. The name Hunter had rang a bell in Bella's mind, but she just couldn't seem to place where she had heard it. Her mind was running a million miles a minute, trying to think of where she heard that name before. The name meant something important, she just didn't know what.

Mary Alice had her memory wiped clean, that's why she never came back for Bella. Was she in love with this Doctor Hunter, and ran away with him? Something about the record didn't make sense to Bella. How can someone just forget everything? Bella never had electric shock therapy, so it was natural that she wouldn't understand. The record was so brief, how long had Mary Alice actually been in there before she escaped?

_Where did you go Mary Alice? You forgot all about me, and our plans to run away to Washington together. Why couldn't I have been there for you? I should have come for you, no matter how much danger I would've been in. I should have gotten you out while I still had a chance. Now I'll never know what happened to you. It's too late. _Bella sighed, and dropped her head slightly. She had come all this way to find out what happened to Mary Alice, and it seemed like her effort was useless. It was time to move on, because any signs of Mary Alice led to nothing, this was Bella's last chance at finding out what happened to her. There was nowhere else to turn, unless Bella found out more about this Doctor Hunter. Perhaps there would be something there, but she didn't know where he went either. They both disappeared.

Bella had come from England, where she had been living in seclusion for the past couple of years. It took her a long time to get enough courage to come back to Mississippi, only to find out there was nothing more there for her. From here, Bella would go back to where she loved living most, Forks, Washington. It had been a long time since she had been to Washington, but the weather was perfect and the town was small enough to not attract too much attention. Bella had to figure out how she was going to get over the loss of Mary Alice, everywhere she went, led to a dead end. It was time to give up looking for clues about the disappearance of Mary Alice; Bella figured she would never find out where she had gone.

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><p><strong>AN: Here's a hint, Doctor Hunter is a made up name for a character that did exist in the series, but was never actually given a name. I don't think it's too hard figuring out who it is. :) Thanks to all of you who have taken an interest in this fic. I'm planning on going back and forth from the past to present, in order to make it flow better. Oh and Alice was 19 and Bella was 17 while they were still human. Next Chapter hint: What has Mary Alice been up to?  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

Where in the world had Mary Alice gone? That was the question that was on Bella's mind. Where would she go to if she lost all memory and had just escaped a mental institution? She would go far away, as far as she could get. Mary Alice never wanted to return to that institution. The world was a big place, she could have gone anywhere.

The way Mary Alice had come to be in Forks was a very long and difficult journey. Mary Alice, who now called herself Alice didn't know much about her past. She chose to forget most of the past that she could remember; she found the existence of a vampire to be a very lonely one. She chose to live in the moment, or to look to the future more than she had remembered her past.

When Alice woke up in the middle of the forest, right after she had been changed, there was no one around her to tell her what had happened. She had a bag with a few of her belongings, and only knew her name. From there, she had a vision of Jasper and with no other motive; she made her journey to him. From there they would join the Cullens, and that's how Alice Cullen came to live in Forks. She traveled with them, adopting them as her new family, and going wherever they went. They shared all the same morals as she did, and she got along well with everyone. They didn't kill humans, but in order for her to survive, Alice had to feed from animals. She didn't enjoy killing, not one bit, but how else would she had survived? Killing an animal would have been better than taking a human life.

Alice always felt there was something missing in her life, something from her past life that was important to her, but she had no idea what it was. How could she know what was so important to her in her human life if she didn't even know who she was? She often thought what it must have been like for her to live as a human, if anyone cared about her or missed her, if anyone loved her.

Images of her past would seldom cross her mind, but they would always be blurry. She often saw another girl, her sister perhaps, but the emotions she felt when she saw this blurry woman was not of the sisterly kind. She felt more for this woman, she could feel it in her very soul. Even if she couldn't remember, she knew she felt love at one point in her existence. In her visions, she had glimpses of long, brown flowing hair, and light brown eyes. She would hear this woman speak her name, but never anything else. It was almost as if her voice was a whisper, and after she said her name, she would start to mumble, but Alice never knew what she was saying. It was too quiet, or her vision would cut out then. Obviously, it was useless to hope that Alice would someday see this woman. Alice had been alive for over a hundred years; this woman would surely have been either ancient or dead. Perhaps Alice was wrong, maybe this was a woman meant for her future, but loving a human never ended well for Alice.

Alice tried to maintain relationships as a vampire, but they would never work out. She refused to commit to anyone who was human; it would only lead to heartbreak in the end. Jasper had shown interest in Alice when they first met, but she had denied his advances, telling him that she was not interested in men or a relationship in general. The visions of this mystery woman kept her away from being happy, she had tried being in relationships with other women to see if that would help, but it never did. There was one particular vampire who she tried to make a relationship work, who still remained her friend to this day. Although their relationship didn't work out, they both agreed that being friends was best.

Alice had met Danielle in the early 50's, not too long after she met the Cullens. They were then living in Maine after having just left Forks for the first time. It wasn't their choice to move, they just had to because they didn't want humans to become suspicious. Alice had always loved Forks, and was happy to return to the new generation of Forks residents. There was something about Washington that Alice loved. The landscape and atmosphere was stunning, but there was nothing more Alice liked to do than to go exploring in the forest. She loved nature, and when she had no desire to feed, she would just sit and watch the animals in their natural habitat.

Danielle was a vampire who belonged to no coven. When they first met, she fed off of humans, not knowing that there was an option to consume animals instead. She thought eating animals wouldn't suffice, but the Cullens showed her the alternative. Danielle was starving herself because of the fact that she didn't want to kill human beings. The Cullens had taken Danielle in, and offered her to join them as a permanent part of the family. Danielle gladly accepted, and she and Alice became fast friends. Alice had taken a liking to Danielle at first because she thought this might have been the girl she was seeing in her visions; perhaps it wasn't someone from her past, but someone waiting for her in the future. Danielle had long flowing dark brown hair, a bit darker than she had seen in her visions, but it still looked the same. Her eyes weren't brown however, they were red. Maybe she was seeing Danielle in her human form, but she couldn't see how that was possible.

Alice had thought she had fallen for Danielle, and Danielle returned the same feelings. They tried making a relationship work between the two of them, and at first everything was great. Alice loved Danielle, but she wasn't sure if she loved her the right way. It felt like it wasn't enough, or there was something missing. That's when Alice's visions returned, it seemed to be that this mystery girl was not Danielle, but someone else. Since she had been with Danielle, the visions increased to an almost daily event, and she had to tell Danielle. She couldn't let these visions ruin anything she had with Danielle, but she soon realized that she wasn't able to continue her relationship with her. Alice had told Danielle about her visions of this mystery woman, no one else except Edward knew about them until then. She wanted to keep her visions of this mystery girl a secret, almost as if she were in denial of them even existing.

Danielle was understanding of Alice's visions, and promised that they would always be friends. Alice had known that Danielle really loved her, and that was the hardest part to overcome. She knew that the longer she lied to herself or to Danielle, the worse it would be in the end. She wasn't able to be in a relationship, and this mystery girl had to exist out there somewhere. Alice had started to see this girl a little bit clearer with each passing day. So in a way, Alice was waiting for this person to show up. If her visions were completely wrong and this was someone from her past, Alice would just have to be alone forever. She knew she wasn't capable of being in any other relationship; her visions would just get worse.

So Danielle had moved on…to Jasper. Since she was living with Jasper too, they had become closer. They had bonded over the fact that Alice had both denied them her love, and from there it progressed. She fell in love with him during the 60's, and they were still together to this day. Alice was happy for them, she didn't want them to be alone forever, and the fact that Alice couldn't be with either of them only brought them closer together. So now there were three couples in the Cullen coven, Carlisle and Esme, Rosalie and Emmett, and now Jasper and Danielle. That left Alice and Edward to be the only single ones. It seemed like everyone expected them to be together, but no matter how much they loved each other, it was not romantic. They were good as brother and sister, and the thought of them actually being together didn't fit right for either one of them. They bonded the most, because they had understood the burden their abilities could cause.

Alice was alone, and she was determined to be alone unless she ever saw this girl in real life. The visions happened at least once a day now; sometimes it would happen several times a day. She had spent most of her days now going to school, for about the 30th time in her life time. She hated high school with a passion; it became to be really annoying once she realized she had to repeat it over and over again to keep her cover. The lifestyle of someone in high school was one of vanity and sex. The trends always changed, but the habits never died. She would have preferred not to go to high school anymore, but then how would she ever get out of her house to at least know how society worked today? School offered her social interaction, though she rarely spoke to anyone. It allowed her to be around other people than just her own family, and that was sometimes refreshing to Alice.

College had a lot better atmosphere, and sometimes Alice wouldn't even go to college. She would get a job instead, just to escape the school atmosphere. She often considered being an immortal a burden, because she would never get to develop fully as a human being, nor live a complete life. She would never get to have children, or know what it was like to grow old. Most people would do anything to live forever, while Alice wanting nothing more than to die at times.

Alice was currently living back in Forks, and attending high school. She was living life as a zombie, everything was repeating it itself, she didn't actually have to be there to function properly. She was lost in her thoughts, usually thinking of this mystery girl that plagued her. She didn't know who or what she was, but she could never stop thinking about her. There was some kind of connection there, there had to be a reason why it was always visions of her.

Alice had been sitting in her room when another brief flash of this girl crossed her mind. This time the mystery girl was in a different surrounding. This had startled Alice because she had always seen this girl in a different area, one that was flat and didn't have many trees. This vision however, showed the mystery girl in what appeared to be the forest surrounding Forks. She couldn't trust her visions of this girl though, because no matter how much she saw her in her mind, she never came in real life. Alice wanted to ignore the visions, and was starting to get a handle on it, but the different setting had made Alice concentrate harder on her vision.

The mystery girl was smiling, and touching Alice on the arm. Her eyes were a light brown color, and there was a blush to her cheek. Obviously, she was a human, which disappointed Alice somewhat, but she shrugged it off and continued to concentrate. Long flowing brown hair pushed past this mystery girl and the end strands were tickling Alice's face. She could feel the soft flowing hair touching her face as if she were actually there. Alice lifted up her hand and touched her face, only to realize that nothing was there.

The girl's lips were moving, and Alice was beginning to hear a voice. It was a soft voice, and was rather calming for Alice to hear. Déjà vu crossed Alice's thoughts as the voice became crisp and clear for the first time since she began having these images. It hadn't been a mumble this time. She thought she had heard it from somewhere, and was certain of it when the voice rang out, "Mary Alice" in a light whisper.

Alice was shaken by the voice and was soon woken out of her visions by Emmett tapping on her shoulder. Alice looked up with large eyes, still trying to tell if she was in her vision or if this was reality. She soon understood that her vision had gone away, and that something important must have happened for Emmett to come to her.

"What is it, Emmett?" Alice asked curiously.

"There's been another one of our kind spotted in Forks. Carlisle thinks it could be someone working with the Volturi who's come to spy on us without our knowledge. We were going to go confront them and see what was really going on. Do you want to come with us? It's Carlisle, Edward, and myself. Jasper and Danielle are staying here to keep things safe if someone tries to come to the house while we're gone."

"What about Esme, will she be staying too?" Alice asked, not wanting to stay behind if it was just going to be the couple.

"She's staying behind. We won't be long; we're just checking it out." Emmett replied.

Alice shook her head, "I'll stay here. I can't believe I didn't see that coming. I've been too preoccupied with my other visions, I must have been blocking out everything else."

Emmett nodded his head, well aware of the visions she was talking about. Everyone in her family had known about them now. "Okay, we'll be back shortly. Keep everyone safe." He rubbed the top of Alice's head roughly with his hand, and walked away smiling.

Alice watched as Emmett walked away and for a moment wondered who was going to show up this time. The Volturi were always trying to do something to the Cullen's, but why hadn't she seen this person coming? The visions of this mystery girl were starting to get in the way of Alice's visions of the future. How was she going to know what was coming, if her mind was always stuck on this girl who most likely didn't even exist?

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for everyone who has been reading and/or reviewing. It means a lot that this has generated so much interest. I added another character in to make things easier on Jasper, he deserves love too, even if it's not Alice :) Next Chapter: Who is this _Volturi Spy? _;) Special thanks to DaniWest, you rock! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Just to inform everyone, Bella has the ability to block forces from other vampires just as she did in the books.**

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><p>Life changes constantly, whether we are aware of it or not. Some changes are so small; we don't realize anything is different until we wake up to a completely different life. Others are not so small, and permanently change the course of our life forever. We live our lives adapting to changes, and hope that changes are for the best, however not all changes are a good thing.<p>

Bella had returned to Forks, Washington for the first time in ages. She hadn't seen Forks in years and the drastic change in the atmosphere alone made Bella apprehensive to make this a permanent address. Buildings had gone up, and it became a much larger town than she last remembered. She wanted seclusion, to live her life completely alone so she might be able to wallow in her misery peacefully, but things had changed. Bella didn't like change, she wanted something familiar from her human life, but that was almost impossible. Living an eternity alone, with nothing or no one familiar was honestly scary to Bella. If her parents saw what the world had become today, they would surely have a heart attack. Nothing from Bella's time existed today, technology had developed rapidly, old buildings were replaced with new ones, women's roles had changed drastically, but Bella was still the same. She had no choice but to be forced into these changes, she couldn't go back to her old life. All Bella had as a memory from her old life was a photograph of her and Mary Alice, and she clung to it as tight as she could. She would preserve that memory forever; it was the only thing that kept her sane at times.

When Bella had returned to Forks, there was only one place she had to go to, her old family home. She hadn't been there in decades, so of course when she got there, she wasn't surprised to see it in horrible condition. It was still a place to stay though, and Bella had a lifetime to make it better. The best part about her family home was that it was in the middle of the forest, far enough away from the town to where not many people knew about it. Her father had always said he planned to come back to this house one day, and he had in his later years. After Charlie had retired, he and Renee moved back to Forks. Bella kept tabs on her parents, but she always found it difficult to watch them for too long. The last time she had been in Forks, her father was the only one alive. Her mother had passed only a couple of years before, and was buried out in the backyard. Charlie joined her in death in the early 1970's and had lived a long life. Once her parents were deceased, Bella bought their house the moment it went back on the market. She had to have a place to stay, and owning her parents' home was another way to retain those memories. However, this was the first time Bella actually stepped foot into the house. She had been afraid to return, for a while Bella tried running from her memories. It wasn't until recently that Bella tried to pursue any of her memories of Mary Alice, she tried to forget, but was always unfortunate with that particular task.

So what does a vampire do when they need to repair their home? Go into town, and visit the local home improvement store of course. This was where Bella was now; shopping for the numerous items she would need to make her house livable. She had recently bought an old hunk of junk truck with the money she had with her, in an attempt to have the least amount of attention attracted to her. This sometimes had the opposite effect, because the noise her truck made was loud enough to wake the dead, no pun intended. Either way, it was her truck now and she loved it for exactly what it was. Her car was parked outside of the hardware store as Bella went to the checkout stand with her items.

As she was purchasing her items, Bella felt as if someone were watching her. She had an uneasy feeling about her surrounding, and looked around to make sure no one was staring at her. Once she looked around and saw no sign of anyone, Bella turned back to the cashier who was practically drooling over the counter from staring at the girl in front of him.

"Are you new here?" The blond boy asked.

Bella turned her head toward the boy, and nodded. She was only half way paying attention to what he was saying, because the sense of someone watching her had returned. "Yeah, my parents sent me here to live with my cousins for a while." Bella lied quickly, in a hurry just to leave.

"Oh, are your cousins the Cullens? You look just like them, eyes and everything." The boy asked, trying to get Bella to stay and have a conversation. It wasn't the boy that made Bella stay, but what he said that got her attention.

Bella had no clue who the Cullens were, but his remark about their eyes being the same made Bella think that perhaps she wasn't the only vampire in town. Instead of blowing any chance for a cover, Bella asked, "How else do I look like them? I never really saw any resemblance."

The boy laughed, and pushed his hand through his hair nervously, "Are you kidding me? You could pass as their sister. The same skin color, and eye color. You're just as beautiful as the Cullen women; it's not hard to tell."

Bella raised her eyebrows at the boy's lame attempt to flirt, and excused herself from the situation as quickly as she could, "Okay, well I have to be going now. My cousins will be waiting for me." Bella gestured at the bag in her hand and turned around to leave.

"I'll see you at school! My name is Mike by the way." He shouted.

"Nice to meet you Mike, you may call me Bella. Bye now." Bella turned quickly and was out of the door as fast as she could get without causing suspicion.

_So it seems like there is a coven somewhere in Forks, and here I thought I would be alone. I wonder who they are, and if they're good or not. _Bella thought to herself as she got into her old pickup truck, and made her way back to her new home.

It only took a few minutes for Bella to realize that someone was following behind her in a black Mercedes-Benz. Bella already knew who it was. It would have only been a matter of time before this coven heard of Bella coming to Forks; maybe they just wanted to see what she was doing here. Bella knew for sure that she wasn't going to leave Forks; they wouldn't be able to drive her away. There was no more Mary Alice to search for, so she was determined to live out her eternity by herself.

Bella took her time getting back to her house, she didn't want to cause attention, or act like she was frightened. She wanted to settle this matter the proper way, and move on with her life. She wasn't able to see anyone through the window, they were tinted too dark to be able to see anything.

Only a few minutes more had passed and Bella was pulling into the dirt road that was her new property. The trees surrounding the property masked the house well; it was quite the cozy get away. Anyone who passed by on the road would have a hard time seeing it. She slowed her truck down, and with a squeal of the breaks, stopped her truck completely. She took the keys out of the ignition, and when she looked up she was met with another set of golden eyes, staring at her through the window. Bella stared at him for a few seconds, immediately putting up her defenses. Bella blocked anything coming from them; she could sense that one of them had supernatural abilities.

The vampire with the messy hair looked confused after a few seconds, and stepped aside to let Bella get out of her car. Bella hesitated at first, afraid but not wanting to show her fear, she tried to put on a brave face and hold up her defenses.

"Who are you?" The messy haired vampire demanded.

"Edward, that's enough. We don't know who she is yet to be demanding her of anything." The blond vampire, most likely the leader, approached Bella with curious eyes, and greeted her with a smile. "I'm Carlisle, and I'm part of the Olympic coven, with my adopted family. We were just curious as to whom might you be, we don't want to cause any problems, but if you plan to stay here, there are certain guidelines you must follow to guarantee our safety." Carlisle smiled the entire time, and Bella could tell that he was being genuine.

"My name is Bella; I came here from Mississippi, and before that Europe. I used to live here when I was human, and this is my parents' house. I was hoping to move here for a while for some peace and quiet. I didn't know anyone else was here, it's been a long time since I've been to Forks."

"What were you doing in Europe? And why can't I read you?" Edward asked, obviously frustrated.

"What do you mean why can't you read me? I was in Europe because I wanted to be, I don't think that's any of your business." Bella said in a cold tone, finding this vampire to be rather annoying.

"Have you been in contact with the Volturi?" The dark haired vampire asked. Bella thought he must've been their source of protection, in case she turned out to be someone bad.

"Who are you? And who is the Volturi?" Bella asked, turning her attention toward this vampire. She felt as if she was being surrounded by these vampires, and she didn't like that feeling.

Emmett's facial features softened a bit as he lowered his guard, "I'm Emmett, and how do you not know who the Volturi are?"

"You're all really confusing me right now. I don't appreciate you coming to my rightful property and accusing me of being in contact with someone I've never heard of before. I came here to be left alone, not to be surrounded the second I step foot in Forks." Bella said.

"I'm sorry it seems like we're accusing you, but we have to assure our safety. Why don't you come to our house tonight so we can get more acquainted with each other, and maybe we can start off on a better note?" Carlisle suggested to Bella.

"How many of there are you?" Bella asked curiously.

"There are eight of us, and not to worry, we're not as bad as we seem. We would really appreciate it if you could come, to at least get to know who we are, and for us to do the same in return." Carlisle said, trying to be as calming as he could.

Bella stared at them for a few minutes, seeing how each one acted. The only one that seemed to be a problem was Edward; the other two didn't seem that bad. "Fine, I'll come. What time and where do I need to be?"

"I'll give you the address now." Carlisle took out a scrap piece of prescription paper, and began scribbling the address.

"You're a doctor?" Bella asked.

Carlisle smiled and replied, "Yes, I try to help humans as much as I can. Our family doesn't feed on humans, and I take it by the way your eyes are, neither do you."

Bella nodded her head and smiled politely as Carlisle handed her the piece of paper. "How about you come around…eight if that's fine with you?" Carlisle suggested.

"Sure, eight it is. I'll see you then." Bella replied, and looked at the address on the paper.

Carlisle nodded his head, and turned to go back to their car. Emmett smiled at Bella, while Edward just stared and then walked away. Bella didn't know what she was getting herself into, but how was she going to live in peace with eight other vampires not trusting her? She had to go meet the rest and assure them that she was of no harm. Maybe then she would be left in peace.

Once Carlisle, Edward, and Emmett got into their car, Edward immediately showed his distrust in Bella, "Something about her doesn't seem right. I can't read her, and I don't know why."

"We can't jump to conclusions just yet Edward. She seems genuine to me, we'll just have to test the waters and see how she is once we get to know her better. We didn't exactly show up with smiles today, and I don't think we had a good first impression on her. It's always good to have an ally, and if she isn't we will know soon enough." Carlisle said, as they pulled back out of the dirt road that lead to Bella's house, and began driving the short way back to their own home.

"Maybe she could take Alice's mind off of that mystery girl she's been seeing in her visions…or maybe Edward has a crush on her. I could tell by your piercing stare at her that you liked her once you laid eyes on her." Emmett joked and pushed Edward lightly on the shoulder.

"She could be a spy; I don't trust her, at least not yet. There was something about her that seemed familiar to me, like I've seen her somewhere before. I think I may have seen her in Italy, but I can't be certain." Edward was talking more to himself than anyone else.

"We'll find out soon enough Edward, let's not worry about it for now. We may be completely wrong about her." Carlisle responded, trying to calm Edward down. He didn't want them to scare off this lone vampire if she really was genuine. Perhaps if she was proven to be trustworthy, she could join their coven. They would find out more about Bella tonight, hopefully the Cullens will take a liking to her. Time would only tell.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks to all who are continuing to read, or are just now starting to read. I appreciate your interest, and it only makes me want to write faster :) Next Chapter preview: Bella gets a blast from the past.**


	6. Chapter 6

It was 8pm sharp when Bella pulled into the Cullens driveway. She had no problem getting to the address; she spotted the lights from the main road through the thick of the tress, though she doubted anyone else would be able to see it as easily as she had. She was surprised at how close the Cullens were to her own property, which probably meant that they would be seeing a lot of each other, and most likely be hunting on the same land. It wasn't a bad thing that they were so close, at least Bella hoped not. She just wanted to meet everyone, see what guidelines she had to follow, and then be on her way back to her own house.

She figured she would be in and out of the house within a matter of minutes, but Bella had no idea what was coming for her. Bella looked out of the dusty window, and up at this elaborate house. They certainly didn't hold back any expenses, but then again there were eight of them, and Carlisle was a doctor. Bella was certain that they had a ton of money to their name, and this house only confirmed her suspicions. It took Bella a couple of more minutes to stop staring at the details of the house, and actually get out of her truck. She opened the door with a loud squeal of the rusty bolts holding the door to the car, and slammed it shut again with a loud thud. The noise of her door closing even startled her only because everything else had been so quiet.

They were most likely already knew that she was here, and were just waiting for her to approach the house. She wondered if they were watching her through the windows, but when she looked up at one of the exceptionally large windows, she saw no one. She saw movement in one of the rooms in the far corner, but couldn't make out who was in there. The figure passed by the window, and Bella's eyes followed the petite figure like a magnet. She was glued to this figure and she didn't understand why. There was something about this figure that made her want to keep watching, but the figure wouldn't turn around so she could see a face. This is what lured Bella in closer toward the house.

She wanted to see who the figure was, and that sped up her process in walking to the door. Perhaps not all of the Cullens were as bad as the few she had already met. Bella stepped on the small porch before the front door, and edged her way to the doorbell. Before she could get to the doorbell however, the door was flung open by none other than Edward, who still had the same look on his face from before. Bella cursed to herself as she tried to smile to the vampire in front of her.

"Hello Edward." Bella said, masking her true feelings inside. She noticed Edward soften his features a bit, not expecting a pleasant reaction from Bella. He nodded his head and replied, "Good evening Bella. Won't you come inside?" His voice was still cold and strained; though Bella thought he was trying to hide it.

Edward moved to the side as Bella took a couple of steps forward and entered the house. The first thing Bella did when she got inside was look up at the ceiling to see how high the place actually was. It was a mansion hidden in the woods, and they certainly did a good job of keeping the place clean. Edward closed the door quietly behind her, when a new vampire approached Bella. Bella watched this woman approach her, and she could sense that this one was kinder just by her body language, which helped Bella feel more comfortable to be surrounded by them.

"You must be Bella; I'm Esme, Carlisle's wife. It's a pleasure to meet you, and it's nice to see a new neighbor around here." She extended her hand for Bella.

Bella reached out her hand and shook Esme's hand, "It's nice to meet you too Esme, though I must say I had no idea that there was anyone else of my kind living here." Bella smiled, genuinely this time.

"We've only been in Forks for about a year now. We were here once a long time ago, but no one around here would remember. Carlisle told me that you used to live here, is that correct?" Esme asked, gesturing that they should head toward the living room.

Bella began walking with Esme, and suddenly felt at ease as she began walking closer toward another figure, sitting on the edge of the sofa, "Yes, my parents used to live here when I was human, back in the 1910's. We moved away for a while, but they came back when my father retired. I unfortunately didn't come back with them." Bella said, knowing that Esme most likely got the hint as to why she didn't come back with them.

"Oh, I see. What were your parent's names? Maybe we met them when we used to live here before." Esme asked.

"My last name is Swan. My father was Charlie, and my mother was Renee." Bella said, finally looking at this new vampire. He had a calm look upon his face, and was only staring at Bella.

"That name does sound familiar; I'll have to ask Carlisle to be certain. Let me introduce you to my son, Jasper. He's been with us for quite a long time."

"Hello Jasper." Bella replied calmly, realizing that she shouldn't have been this relaxed. Bella had let her guard down for only a few minutes, and something was influencing her emotions. Quickly, Bella put up her guard again, and Edward approached from behind.

"You can block others abilities?" He asked, suddenly interested in Bella once more.

Edward must have read her for the few minutes her guard was down. Bella just nodded her head, and shrugged his comment off as she turned her attention back to the other two vampires.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Bella; I hope Edward hasn't scared you away from us so soon. We're not all as…investigative as he is."

"It's alright, it's only normal to suspect something when someone like me ends up moving down the road from a whole coven of vampires." Bella smiled weakly.

At that moment Carlisle came down from the stairs with a blonde woman right behind him. Not long after they reached the bottom, there was a loud thud, and then what seemed like thunder coming after it. It was actually Emmett running down the stairs right behind the other two. Bella couldn't help but smile at Emmett; it was nice to know that there was someone playful in the family.

"Good evening Bella, it's nice to see you again, and on better circumstances at that." Carlisle smiled, and joined Esme on one of the sofas. They offered Bella a seat, and she took it not knowing what else to do. Although she was a vampire and was supposed to be elegant, she still couldn't help but feel awkward. Years of solitude made Bella feel weird to be suddenly surrounded by all of these other vampires.

"Bella, I'd like you to meet our daughter Rosalie." Carlisle gestured to the blonde girl, who stayed far away from Bella, and kept by Emmett's side.

Bella smiled politely, "Nice to meet you."

Rosalie attempted to smile back, but Bella could tell it was difficult for her. Rosalie decided to remain silent, and Bella had no problem with that.

"Emmett, where's your sister? Doesn't she know we're having a guest?" Carlisle asked.

"I just told her a few minutes ago. She said she would be down soon." Emmett replied, and then turned his attention back to Rosalie.

"You're not all really related, are you?" Bella asked curiously.

This caused most of them to chuckle, "No, we're not. We just say we're a family because it feels like we are. Plus, it's easier for us to explain why there are so many of us living together." Bella nodded her head, and turned her attention toward the back door. Someone else was coming in, and Jasper immediately perked up.

Danielle walked in with a smile on her face, and her eyes brightened when she saw Bella sitting there on the sofa, "So this must be our new neighbor. I'm Danielle; it's nice to meet you." Danielle approached Bella and hugged her lightly on the shoulder.

Bella was surprised that Danielle had been so forward, especially when they didn't know if she could trust her or not. "It's nice to meet you too, Danielle." Bella said, moving her hand lightly around Danielle in an attempt to hug her back.

Bella watched as Danielle moved towards Jasper, and sat down next to him with a smile. Bella looked around at the room, and it seemed like each one of them was staring at her. She didn't like being the center of attention, especially with seven other vampires. Bella wondered why there were only seven of them when Carlisle said that there were eight. She also noticed that six out of the seven were in a relationship, and Edward was the only one left. It made sense as to why Edward would be the only one alone, who would be able to stand his personality for an eternity?

"So Bella, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?" Carlisle said as he wrapped his arm around Esme and smiled.

"Well, there's not much to say about me. I just came from Mississippi, but I've lived all over the world the past ninety years. I never really found a place to settle, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to stay anywhere long before people started to notice I never aged. I've been alone most of the time, I never really found any others, or wanted to be around the ones who offered me to join their coven." Bella said, not wanting to go into too much detail.

"Our daughter is originally from Mississippi, Biloxi to be more specific."

"Really? I lived in Biloxi during the 20's, my parent's lived there for a little while. Which one of your daughters lived there?" Bella looked around at all the girls, and found no one she remembered from her human life. Though it was a stretch to actually see someone she knew from her human life now, she had never come across anyone she knew while she was alive.

"It's not any of us; it's our other sister, Alice." Danielle said with a smile.

Once Bella heard the name Alice, her eyes widened_. It couldn't have been Mary Alice, that would be impossible. Mary Alice is dead; I need to stop thinking in the past, I'll never see Mary Alice again. _Bella scolded herself silently.

"Where is Alice, anyway? She was supposed to down here already." Carlisle asked everyone.

"She'll be down in a minute; she's just been having a hard time with her visions again." Jasper replied calmly.

Bella swore her heart skipped a beat, even if it hadn't beaten in 90 years. She remembered that Mary Alice used to have visions, it was too much of a coincidence, and Bella had to ask if it was Mary Alice, even if she ended up sounding stupid. She had to know who this person was.

Bella opened her mouth to speak, when she was interrupted by a voice from behind that she hadn't heard in a very long time, "I heard my name, and see that our guest is here. You must be Bella."

Bella stopped moving on the spot, she was too afraid to turn around. She knew that voice by heart, it rang out in such a clear and crisp tone that there was no mistaking who the voice belonged to. How could it be though? It was impossible. With her body as stiff as a board, Bella slowly turned her head around, and laid eyes on the love of her human life. There was Mary Alice, standing there with a bright smile like nothing in the world was ever wrong. She looked the same, except her hair was now short and her eyes were no longer blue.

Alice's smile dropped a bit when she saw the confused look on Bella's face, and then she realized that this was the mysterious woman she had been having her visions of. All this time of thinking this person was someone in her past, who she would never know, now sat before her. Alice's eyes widened in response as they girls just stared at each other like nothing else mattered.

"Mary Alice?" Bella uttered quietly. The room was silent, as all eyes were glued on the two girls. No one knew what was happening.

"How do you know my old name? Who are you?" Alice asked, moving closer toward this mystery woman to get a better look at her.

Bella stayed quiet for a few seconds as she took in Alice's entire features. There was no denying she was Mary Alice. A smile spread across Bella's lips as she saw her love for the first time in decades, but soon vanished again when she realized what she had just said. She had no memory of Bella. To Mary Alice, she was just a stranger.

"You don't remember who I am? It's me, Isabella. Don't tell me you don't remember, please don't tell me that. Not after what we had, you have to remember me." Bella got up quickly and approached Alice. Edward took this as the wrong approach, and immediately went to Bella to hold her back. Bella turned to Edward and growled lowly, which in turn put everyone in a defensive mode.

"I'm sorry; I have no idea who you are." Alice said quietly, wishing that she could remember who this person was. The look in Bella's eyes made Alice wish she knew all about her, but unfortunately she couldn't make herself remember, no matter how hard she wanted.

"What's going on here? Do you know this girl?" Carlisle was now out of his seat and in-between the two girls just to be safe. He didn't think Bella was going to hurt Mary Alice or Edward, but Edward might attempt to try something.

"No, I don't know who she is, but she's the one I've been seeing in my visions. I don't know anything else about her, except for what she looks like." Alice answered Carlisle.

"I don't like the sound of this, and the way she is acting isn't right. We shouldn't trust her, Carlisle. It's too suspicious." Edward said in front of everyone, looking around the room to see who else agreed with him.

"Why shouldn't you trust me? I'm just trying to get over the fact that the love of my life doesn't remember me. I had no idea she was here, I thought you were dead Mary Alice. How did you get out of the mental hospital? Where did you go? I have so many questions to ask you. I can't believe it's really you." Bella tried once again to get close to Alice, but found Edward still blocking the way. She didn't want to hurt him or cause unnecessary drama, so she stayed in her spot.

"The love of your life? I wish I could remember who you are, but I don't. I know nothing about you, and have no idea how you knew that I came from a mental institution. I don't know much about my time in the institution; I just know I was there before I was turned. I don't go by Mary Alice anymore either, it's just Alice now. Maybe we can sit down and talk about it, something might spark a memory." Alice was now eager to talk to this mystery girl, if she claims who she says she is, then she could tell her more about her past and how she came to be.

"Don't trust her Alice; it's impossible for the two of you to just stumble upon each other now. She came here for a reason, maybe to weaken your defenses so the Volturi can finally make their move on us. Don't believe her, she's probably lying." Edward said, obviously not wanting Bella to have anything to do with Alice.

Bella had become agitated enough to where she lashed out at Edward, "Will you just be quiet? I don't know who the Volturi are, and I don't know who you think you are to claim that I'm lying. How do you know if I'm lying or not, you can't even read me properly. You know nothing about me." Bella shouted, pushed to the point where she was just too frustrated, she wasn't able to stand the accusations anymore.

"I think it's time to say goodbye for the evening. We're all really confused right now, and I don't think we're thinking rationally here. Bella, I'm sorry this happened but I can't put my family at risk. Perhaps at another time we will be able to discuss this more rationally," Carlisle said, looking from Edward to Bella.

"If I could just speak to Mary Alice…I mean Alice… alone, she would know who I was. I'd be able to tell her about her life, things no one else could possibly know." Bella pleaded, more with Alice than anyone else.

"Let's just wait a while, okay? I'm sorry, but I don't want to cause anymore difficulties for the night." Carlisle said.

Bella sighed; she knew she wasn't going to get to talk to Alice by herself, at least not tonight. "You mean to tell me you don't remember…anything about me? Nothing at all? After all this time I only thought of you, for years. I thought I lost you forever, but here you are, standing in front of me. It almost makes the 90 years I haven't seen you worth it, but to know you have no idea who I am makes me question how important I really was to you."

"I can't help the fact that I don't remember. I don't remember who I was at all. I know nothing about my human life, I'm really sorry it seems like I don't care, I wish I could remember who you are, that way I would know you're telling the truth." Alice replied, not wanting to be mean, but in a way Edward was right. How did she know this woman was being genuine, but then again why would she even lie about something like this? What was Alice worth lying to?

"If you want to know the truth about your past, you know where I am. I can't believe what's happening right now, I wasn't expecting this at all. I'm sorry I lashed out on you Edward, but you have no idea who I am, no clue whatsoever. You have no right accusing me of being evil, I have nothing to gain." Bella excused herself from the Cullen's, and quickly walked out of the front door.

The Cullen's all watched as Bella left quickly, and heard the roar of her engine start up. They could hear her pulling out of the driveway and off into the distance, Bella had come and gone in a flash, but she made a big impact on the Cullens, especially Alice.

"Why did you have to do that Edward, she might have known more about my past. You can't claim someone is lying just because you can't read their mind." Alice turned to Edward, who was looking at her as if he wasn't in the wrong.

"I have my reasons to believe why we shouldn't trust her. You can't tell me you'd just believe everything she tells you without wondering if she's telling you the truth. Honestly, you would doubt her too. I was just trying to put some sense into you before you believe everything she says." Edward said coldly, and stalked off before anything else could be said.

Alice watched Edward walk away with a look of annoyance on her face. "What if she is telling the truth?" Alice asked quietly.

"You'll find out Alice. Give it time; maybe get to know Bella a bit more before you start taking her words as truth. If she isn't genuine, then I'm sure you'll see it coming." Carlisle patted Alice on the back, and walked away with Esme not too far behind him.

"How can I see it coming if I was caught off guard by this? I had no idea she would be here now." Alice now spoke only to herself. She was standing alone with a tough decision ahead of her. Was Bella genuine, or was she lying? If she was lying, then why would she even want to? What would lying get Bella? If she wasn't lying, then Alice just met the one girl who could change her entire existence.

She had to find out, and the only way she was going to do that was to get to know Bella. She would find out all about Bella, and then she would know if she was genuine or not. She hoped that Edward was wrong, and that Bella was the key to everything she was missing in her life. There was nothing wrong with hope.

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><p><strong>AN: Longest chapter of the story so far! I hope you've enjoyed the update, thanks to all who are reading/reviewing. Next Chapter preview: Bella and Alice get some alone time.**


	7. Chapter 7

Bella went back to her house, and began to clean up the place. She had a lot of work done, but there was still a lot more to do. She managed to get the roof fixed and the electricity working before it began to rain, which were the main things she wanted to get done. Luckily for Bella, she was able to fix it rather fast. Sometimes it wasn't so bad to be immortal.

Bella was soaking wet by the time the roof was fixed; it had been drizzling, and just now started to rain harder. Once she was done with that, she tried to look for other things to fix; she needed something to do to get her mind off of what happened earlier that day. She dusted off some of her father's old belongings, and found a couple of old records he always listened to. Bella thought it would be fitting to play some of the records, just to remember when her days were happy ones. So she went to the record player, which still worked, and stood there as the record began to play.

Bella looked to the broken windows, and focused her attention on that now. She approached the window, and took off her soaking wet jacket so she would be able to move around better. Her thin tank top was all that covered her now, but no one was around so it didn't really matter what she was wearing. Bella looked outside, and was shocked to see someone staring back at her. It was Alice, just standing in the rain, staring curiously at Bella. Bella wrapped her arms around her chest, which was soaked to the point where anyone could see what was beneath.

"Can I come in?" Alice asked quietly from the other side of the window.

Bella nodded her head and moved toward the front door. She couldn't help but feel butterflies as she opened the door, and Alice took a step inside. Her clothes were soaked too; it had really started to pour. Bella closed the door quietly as Alice looked around the house taking in the environment, and then focused her attention on Bella.

"I wasn't expecting to see you tonight." Bella said quietly, moving a bit closer toward Alice. She was drawn into Alice like a moth to a light; she couldn't resist staring in disbelief as Mary Alice stood in front of her. It was surreal, almost as if it was a dream.

"I managed to get away from my family for a while; I wanted to talk to you alone…without any interruptions." Alice said, studying Bella's facial features. This was the girl in her visions; there was no doubt about that. The only difference was the eyes, they had changed in color.

"I'm really sorry about the way I reacted, Edward just got to me. I'm glad that you came to me though; maybe we can talk about this more peacefully. I'm still trying to get over the fact that you're standing here in front of me, so please forgive me if I look at you in a weird way. It's not every day you see someone come back from the dead." Bella offered Alice a seat near the kitchen, at the small wooden table.

"I'm still trying to get over the fact that you supposedly know me. I know nothing from when I was human, all I remember was I woke up in the woods one day, and I was already changed. I want to know more about my life, and more about you." Alice sat down as she continued talking.

Bella smiled when Alice said that, and if she could blush, she would be crimson. "Do you believe me?" Bella asked on a more important note.

Alice paused, and stared at Bella for a few seconds, as if she was trying to see inside Bella. Her eyes lowered and gazed over Bella's body briefly, before she looked back up at her face. "I'd like to believe you, but would you blame me if I had some doubts? Don't you think it's rare to find someone you knew from your actual life at random?"

Bella could see where Alice was coming from, and it was perfectly understandable. Lucky for her, Bella had proof that they knew each other from their human life, and Bella was going to show her. "Can I show you something?" Bella asked with a smirk.

Alice's lips curled up in a small smile when she saw the look in Bella's eyes. "Sure, what have you got to show me?"

Bella got out of her chair, and slowly walked over toward her wallet which was lying on the table near the record player. She picked it up slowly, and opened it as she smiled. Bella turned to look at Alice, and then back down at her wallet before she walked back. She sat back down in her seat, and carefully pulled out an old image. Alice's eyes were glued to the image as Bella handed it to her, and looked at it for the first time.

Alice's eyes widened as she stared at the picture of Bella and herself sitting beneath a tree. She looked carefully at herself, and smiled when she saw how happy she used to be. "Is this really us?" Alice looked up at Bella and then back at the picture to make sure it was her. Bella in the picture looked more like the Bella she had visions about, but it was still the same person, Alice knew it.

"Yes, that's us sitting under an oak tree when my parents were having a picnic one day. It was a wonderful day. I still remember it well." Bella smiled, and moved her chair closer to Alice who was still looking at the photo.

"This is amazing. How old were we in the picture?" Alice asked, looking up at Bella with a spark in her eyes.

"I was seventeen and you were nineteen. I don't think I've ever been as happy in my life as I was then. We were something special." Bella replied.

Alice stared at this mystery girl next to her and tried as hard as she could to remember anything about her, but she couldn't. "I wish I could remember you. Were we really…in love?" Alice asked.

Bella nodded her head with a smile, but Alice could tell that behind her smile was pain. "We were. You were the only person I've ever loved. It was really hard on me when we were torn apart. I never really knew what happened to you."

"How were we torn apart?" Alice asked, feeling the urge to reach out and touch Bella, but she refrained from doing so. They were so close and hadn't even touched each other yet. Both girls were afraid to get closer.

Bella was afraid if she tried to touch Alice, she would disappear, as if it were all her imagination. Bella would have gone mad from missing Alice, so her brain made Alice up for her. However, the temptation to reach out and touch her was too strong for her to resist. Even in she was afraid, she just had to feel Alice to know that she was real.

Bella moved her hand slowly across the table, and Alice watched as Bella's fingers moved closer toward Alice's hand. Bella placed her hand on top of Alice's slowly, and closed her eyes as she took in the feeling of contact.

"Your father put you in the mental hospital. I watched as your dad drove you away from me. I never saw you again." Bella replied, finally opening her eyes.

"My father? What was wrong with me?" Alice asked, wrapping her own fingers around Bella's hand.

"You were having visions of the future, and no one believed you. One day you had a vision that your father planned to do something really bad to you, and before you had the chance to go to the police, he had already made plans to put you away." Bella replied quietly.

"What was he planning to do with me?" Alice asked, shocked to hear that her father would put her away on purpose.

"He was planning to kill you, because you found out the truth about your mother." Bella replied, afraid that this would sound too ridiculous for Alice to actually believe her.

Alice raised her eyebrows, and stared at Bella with confusion written on her face. "I know it sounds really odd, but it's the truth. Your father and step mother plotted to kill your mother, and they succeeded. You didn't realize it at first, but you had your suspicions, I remember how you used to tell me how scared you were to just be at home. They didn't treat you right, and favored your little sister over you because of your visions."

"I had a little sister? Is she still alive?" Alice asked curiously.

Bella shook her head, "No, she isn't alive anymore, but she has a daughter who looks a lot like you. I was there before I came to Forks. I wanted to find out what happened to you before I gave up for good. I went to the institution and found your record."

"So my father put me in the asylum to keep me from telling on him? Can I see the record; do you have it with you now?" Alice asked.

Bella nodded her head, and got back out of her seat to go get the record. "Yes, they didn't want you to tell, so they put you away before you had the chance to. It was never the same without you. I know this probably sounds really bizarre, but it's the honest truth."

Bella picked up the folded up pieces of paper which were Alice's records, and handed it to her. Alice unfolded the paper and began to read the little text that was there. "You told me the night before that you thought your dad was going to do something, and that you wanted to run away with me before he got the chance. I didn't think it was going to happen, and I convinced you to go back home. Your visions weren't always right, and you trusted me enough to think that everything was going to be okay. I didn't know I made a huge mistake by convincing you to go back home. I woke up the next morning by hearing you yell my name. By the time I made it outside, you were already in the car looking back at me. I tried running after the car, but it was too fast. I couldn't help you, and I've had to live with that decision the rest of my life. I will never forgive myself for telling you to go back home."

Alice looked sympathetically towards Bella, the more Bella told her the more she wanted to believe everything she was saying. She felt at ease with Bella, when no one else was around to persuade her otherwise that is. "You can't be blamed for something like that; you had no idea it was going to happen. It's not like you did it on purpose."

Bella nodded her head, and looked off into the distance, not really staring at anything in particular. She could never forgive herself even if Alice was saying it was okay now. That was a different time and a different place, and maybe if she had run away with Alice, things would be different. They could have grown old and happy together…but at least Mary Alice was here now.

"I keep calling you Mary Alice. Why did you shorten your name?" Bella asked as Alice continued to read her record.

"I figured Alice sounded more modern than Mary Alice. Didn't you say your full name was Isabella? Why did you shorten it to just Bella?" Alice asked curiously.

Bella was quiet at first, she felt slightly embarrassed to tell Alice, but that didn't stop her from saying it, "I didn't want to be reminded of the past, it came to a point where I hated hearing my own name. It wasn't long after you were gone that I started going by the name Bella. You could say the same thing, that it sounds more modern."

Alice had finished reading her record and was now giving Bella her complete attention, "I'm sorry for that Bella. I wish it hadn't happened that way. It seems to me like I've suffered from amnesia while I was under treatment in the hospital. I must've remembered you while I was in there; my treatments just got rid of all recollection of you. Your name is even in the record, stating that I kept thinking you were going to come for me."

"Yeah, I know. I read it several times over. I thought it was the last shred of evidence that I had of you, just to prove that you really existed. I can't believe you're sitting here talking to me right now, you may not remember me at all, but I know it's you. I would never forget your face." Bella had finally met Alice's gaze, and they stared at each other for a few seconds until Bella bashfully looked away. Only Alice could make her confidence disappear. She was the only one who could do many things to Bella.

"Would you mind if I showed this to my family? I know Carlisle would love to see this, and maybe he could help us find out who turned me. I don't remember being turned at all either, I'm not sure if I was kidnapped or went willingly. There is still a lot to discover." Alice closed her eyes in an attempt to try to remember anything at all, but her visions had failed her when it came to her past.

"I'm not going anywhere; I'm here to answer any questions you have. I'll try to answer them the best I can. I know I just unloaded a lot of information on you, but it's all true. I wouldn't lie about our past." Bella smiled weakly at Alice, and watched as she got up out of her seat.

Alice walked over toward the window which was still broken, and looked outside. "Maybe I should go before they start looking for me."

Bella immediately got out of her seat and walked over to Alice with a worried look on her face, "Can't you stay longer? It's still raining, you'll get soaked again."

Alice stared at Bella, arguing with herself on if she should stay or not. Alice's eyes trailed down to Bella's chest once more, which still was still soaked, and revealed more skin than Bella probably wanted to. Bella didn't seem to notice her wardrobe malfunction as she stared at Alice eagerly. Alice's mood shifted as she continued to stare at Bella's chest, but she knew what she was thinking wasn't right. It was far too soon to be thinking of…touching Bella there.

_What would she do if I just reached out and touched her? Surely she would want to touch me back; I used to be her girlfriend. But if I move too soon she might get turned off. It's been so long since I've had the opportunity to even touch another woman, and the small amount of skin showing is driving me insane. If I stay I'll surely reach out and touch her, but should I really risk it? _Alice was going back and forth in her head between was the right thing to do, and what she wanted to do.

Bella just so happened to be thinking the same thing, she didn't want Alice going anywhere. The desire to touch, to feel, to kiss this woman in front of her was too powerful. She had waited long enough, and all she wanted now was a kiss. A simple kiss to know that the time she spent alone was worth it. She wanted to know their love was real, but how could she expect Alice to love her like Bella loved her if she didn't remember anything? She had gotten her Mary Alice back, but it was as if they never met. Her love for Alice was still strong, but Alice probably felt nothing for her.

She wished that she could cry, have some sort of relief from all her pent up emotions. Bella was on the verge of breaking down; all she wanted was a touch of their lips. Without caring how Alice would react, Bella said, "I'm going to do something I haven't done in a long time, so please forgive me if you're offended. I just have to do this for myself."

Alice raised her eyebrows in confusion at Bella's statement, and was pleasantly surprised when Bella closed the distance between them by kissing Alice against the lips. The soft music playing in the background, and having Alice wrapped in her arms made Bella feel like she was still alive. The song playing was one Bella easily recognized and found it ironic that it was playing at this particular time, it was _The Fleetwood's, We Belong Together. _ Perhaps this was all a bad dream, and she would wake up to Mary Alice holding her tight, telling her everything was okay. That was a foolish thought, but Bella thought about it anyway. It gave her comfort as she clung to Alice, and continued to kiss her.

Alice embraced Bella with open arms, scolding herself for being so open with the stranger, but then again she wasn't really a stranger. Alice trusted her, and there was something there, deep inside of Alice telling her that it was okay. Alice kissed Bella in return, and even took it a step further and deepened the kiss. There was a weird sensation Alice felt when she was kissing Bella, a feeling of nostalgia came over her. She wanted to know this feeling, and something inside of her was telling her that she knew this feeling well; it had just been buried deep inside her.

Alice's mind began flashing with visions…visions of the past. She saw Bella in human form, smiling back at her, leading her into a small patch of trees behind a white house. Alice felt herself smiling as she walked into the patch of trees, and was pushed up against one of the tree trunks by Bella. Alice only laughed, but suddenly stopped when Bella moved her hands up Alice's dress, and grazed her hands slowly across her panties. She swore she felt her heart beating quickly, but she knew now, that was impossible. It was as if Alice felt everything that was going on in her flashback. She watched as Bella closed the distance between their lips, and moved her hand past that pesky fabric.

Alice gasped, and was taken out of her flashback by Bella calling her name, "Alice, are you okay? What happened?" She asked, slightly confused at what was going on. One minute they were kissing, and then Alice just stopped and was staring off into space.

"I…remember something. I had a vision of you and me, fooling around against a tree trunk. I've never had that happen to me before; I never had any visions of my past until now." Alice said, shocked that she actually remembered something from her past.

Bella was smiling shyly, "I remember that well. We had to sneak away from my parents, and there was no better place to go than in the woods. Do you think you remembered because of what just happened? Maybe by me kissing you triggered part of your memory. Do you remember anything else?"

Alice shook her head, "No, that's all I saw. I think you might be right, by having you kiss me triggered something inside myself to remember. This is amazing; I can't believe I remembered something. You really are telling the truth, aren't you?"

Bella nodded her head, "There's no reason for me to lie."

Alice felt bad for not trusting Bella to begin with, but she had to have her doubts, anyone would. It was only natural for her to have some kind of doubt, but now there was proof that she wasn't lying. Bella really was from her past, and Alice remembered something about her. That was the curious thing about it, once they kissed it was as if that's all she needed to have her past be brought back to her. Perhaps if she spent more time with Bella, more of her past would come back to her. It certainly wouldn't hurt to spend time with Bella, especially when she felt something strong between them already. She could see herself falling for Bella…again. It wasn't hard to feel something for this girl, and that was rare for Alice to feel. She always guarded herself around everyone, but there was something about Bella that made it easy. Perhaps they were meant to be together, even after all this time apart, they still found each other. Alice wasn't going to let Bella out of her sight; she had to keep her close. She didn't think Bella would have a problem with that.

"Are you starting school tomorrow?" Alice asked out of nowhere.

Bella nodded her head, "Unfortunately yes. It's the only cover I have right now."

"Good, you can come with me. After school I want us to go see Carlisle and see what he has to say about all this…that is if you don't mind of course." Alice didn't want to come across as bossy or too demanding just yet.

"Sure, how are we going to get to school? Your car or mine?" Bella gestured to the car through the window.

Alice took one look at it, and held back a smile. "We can go in your car if you want…or I could get my car and bring it here. I think riding in a Porsche sounds a lot better than riding in your car, no offense, but it's rather old."

Bella raised her eyebrows and smiled, "That's what I like about it. I tend to like really old things, obviously."

"I've noticed. I'm going to go get my car and change clothes. Do you have anything to wear on your first day?" Alice asked, hoping that she would say no.

"Why? Because this is the one hundredth time it's been my first day at school? I can find something to wear." Bella teased.

"Okay, if you're sure. I'll be back soon." Alice opened the front door and let herself out.

Bella watched as Alice ran quickly through the trees and soon disappeared. The night had a strange turn of events, but it was for the better. Alice remembered something about her, and Bella began to notice Alice had very similar traits as to when she was human. Bella could see her existence turning out to be a happy one now that Alice was back in her life. She only hoped Alice would be able to return her feelings. She had kissed her back, so there was hope left for the two of them. For now, that was all Bella needed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There was a lot covered in this chapter, making it the longest one yet! Thank you to everyone who is reading and/or reviewing. Next Chapter Preview: First day of school/more Bella and Alice alone time. :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Bella was standing outside her old house when Alice pulled up in her yellow Porsche. Bella watched in amusement as dirt flew everywhere when Alice slammed on her breaks right in front of Bella. Luckily for Alice, no dirt was thrown on Bella in her peel out across Bella's driveway. Bella laughed as she watched Alice roll down the window to her Porsche, and smiled back at Bella. Alice definitely enjoyed the more lavish things in life.

"You're lucky you didn't hit me." Bella replied as Alice motioned for her to get in. Bella pulled on the door handle, and looked down to see if she had any dirt on her clothes before she got in such a luxurious car. After seeing that there was none, Bella sat comfortably in the suede seats, and put her belt buckle on.

"I've had years of practice darling. I love fast cars, and one of the best parts about being an immortal is that the cars just keep getting better and faster." Alice smiled, as she pulled out onto the road that lead into town.

"You're lucky that wasn't mud either. I wouldn't be very happy if you spattered me with mud before we even got to school." Bella raised her eyebrows towards Alice.

"That would have given me the perfect chance to dress you in something more…fashionable that what you're wearing now." Alice looked Bella up and down, and smiled mischievously.

"Do you not like what I'm wearing? It seems you haven't changed one bit. Every chance you got, you always tried to put me in a dress. I never really liked them, but you wouldn't give up on me. There's nothing wrong with wearing a nice pair of pants, and society has changed now. It's not odd to see a woman in slacks anymore." Bella straightened out her black tank top, and wiped the small particles of dirt that had gotten on her jacket.

"Yes, but there are more choices out there other than tank tops and t-shirts. You would look beautiful in a sundress, and I'm sure I thought the same thing when we were human." Alice winked at Bella, causing Bella to get butterflies in her stomach. Yes, vampires do get butterflies in their stomachs. Bella wasn't your ordinary vampire either.

"I've been living on the bare minimum for ages; I used to travel a lot so I never had much to take with me. I guess since I'm settling in here for a while, it wouldn't hurt to have more possessions." Bella replied, looking down at her clothes once more, not really seeing what was so wrong about them. Alice was just too picky when it came to clothes, she always was.

The girls pulled into to the school parking lot shortly after their conversation; they had gotten there rather fast due to Alice's lightning fast speeds. Bella looked around the parking lot as they pulled up into a parking space, and noticed that almost everyone in the parking lot was staring at Alice's Porsche. They knew Bella was coming, most likely from Mike at the hardware store telling everyone about the Cullens new cousin.

That reminded Bella that she needed to tell Alice that they were supposed to be pretend cousins. "I came across a kid named Mike at the hardware store, and I told him that I was your cousin. I didn't know who you guys were at the time, so I kind of just went along with what he was assuming." Bella didn't know how Alice or any of the others would react, but it was kind of too late to change things now.

"Oh, so we're cousins then? I guess that would make the most sense, especially since you're in the car with me, and everyone is staring at us, and we look the same. Welcome to high school, how many times have you graduated already?" Alice joked around, but Bella despised anything having to do with high school. It was something she had to do in order to maintain her cover, at least whenever she settled somewhere. She rather enjoyed it when she was traveling around, there were no covers needed because no one knew who she was.

"I believe this will be my sixteenth time I've graduated high school. I wish I didn't have to go at all." Bella looked to Alice who was nodding her head, agreeing with what she was saying.

"Well at least you'll have someone to talk to now; hopefully we will share some of our classes together. I can always try to sweet talk the ladies in the office to try and get your schedule to match mine." Alice smiled as she opened her door to get out of the car.

Bella followed Alice, and slammed the door behind her. She walked around to meet Alice, and together they walked toward the office. "I can try to sweet talk them too, but they might know you better. I'd like to see you in action, to know how you get things done that is." Bella raised her eyebrows suggestively toward Alice, causing Alice to laugh lightly.

"So you want to see me in action, do you? Okay, you're going to see a pro at work. I need you to pretend to be sweet and innocent for me, though I don't think that will be a very hard task for you to do." The girls were doing a good job at ignoring the stares of their fellow classmates. Bella saw Mike wave at her from a distance, she did the nice thing and waved back, though he would probably take that as a sign that she was madly in love with him.

Bella then focused her attention on the rest of the Cullens, who were all standing around their group of cars talking quietly to each other. The only one who was looking back at the girls was Edward, and he didn't seem very happy, but what else was new? This gave Bella a sense of happiness as she watched his face contort in anger because Alice didn't listen to him. Bella held in her smiled and finally responded to Alice, "You only think I'm sweet and innocent, but you don't remember how I really was. You don't remember all the trouble we used to get into."

The girls made it to the office, and opened the door while Bella stepped through it. "I think you'll have to relive some of those memories with me, you know, just so I can remember." Alice flirted back.

"Of course." Bella said quietly, trying to hold her excitement in. They approached the woman behind the desk, and Bella watched as Alice went to work.

"Good morning Ms. Watson, how are you doing this morning?" Alice's smiled beamed toward the red headed woman sitting behind the desk. She had been typing on the computer in front of her before Alice spoke, but once she uttered one word, all attention was focused on her.

"I'm doing well Ms. Cullen; it's nice to see you this morning. Who do we have next to you?" The woman now turned her attention to Bella who smiled softly, and tried to pull off the innocent look.

"I'd like you to meet my cousin Bella. She's come to live with my family while her parents are abroad in England. We would like to get her registered, but I'd like it if we would be able to share most of our classes together, if that's possible. Bella is very homesick, and the thought of being without anyone in her family makes it that much harder on her. Would it be possible to do that, Ms. Watson?" Alice asked, never taking her gaze away from Ms. Watson.

"I'll see what I can do Alice. It's a pleasure to meet you Bella. I'm sure you'll fit in right away, we're all really friendly here." Ms. Watson smiled at Bella, to which Bella smiled back.

"Thank you Ms. Watson." She replied quietly.

The girls waited for a couple of minutes as Ms. Watson built a schedule for Bella, and finally handed it to Bella once she was finished. "I was able to fill you in most of Alice's classes, except for two of them. Your algebra and science class will be without Alice, it's the best I can do."

Bella turned to Alice who momentarily looked displeased, but all signs of displeasure vanished off of Alice's face when she saw Ms. Watson staring back at her, "It's perfectly understandable. Thank you for at least trying, I really do appreciate it. Come on Bella, we don't want to be late for our first class." Alice turned from Ms. Watson who watched in fascination as the two girls walked back out of the office just as fast as they came in.

"Thank you again Ms. Watson, you've helped me out a great deal." Bella said before the two girls left the office, and headed for their first class together.

Bella viewed her schedule as Alice led the way toward the classroom, and sighed at the plain schedule before her. "If only they had something interesting to take in high school. They don't give students many options for electives. Good job working her over by the way, you're very good at that."

"It's only high school. I suppose they think you'll have all the fun while you're in college, so the system is going to torture you as much as possible before you get there, and thank you. It's not every day you see a pro at work." Alice led Bella into a classroom that had started to fill up with students, enjoying this little game that the two were playing with each other, however Alice was sure that she would win. She was the best at getting people to bend to her will, no one was better at that than Alice.

Bella saw that this was English class, which was bearable for her because she loved reading stories of all kinds. She especially loved the classics; it reminded her of a better time in her life. Alice moved to her desk in the back of the room while Bella approached the teacher who was sitting at the front of the room. The scent of Bella is what got the woman's attention in the first place, and she then moved her eyes up from the papers she was looking at, roamed over Bella's body, and then finally met her eyes.

"How…may I help you?" She was caught off guard by Bella.

"I'm Bella Swan, the new student. This is my first class, and I just wanted to introduce myself and ask where I should sit." Bella said, making sure to turn her charm on. She saw this as an opportunity to show Alice up. She wasn't the only one who could make people melt in her hand.

"You can sit wherever you like Ms. Swan, it's a pleasure to meet you, and I'm Ms. Moore. I must say you look a lot like the Cullens, are you related by any chance?" She asked, glancing back at Alice, who was pretending not to pay attention.

"We're cousins actually. I'm surprised people have even noticed that about me. I never saw any family resemblance." Bella tested the waters with this teacher, just to gauge her personality.

"Really? You look exactly like them, though you may have a better personality than some of the Cullens I've met during my time here, I can already tell." Ms. Moore joked around with Bella, which was a good sign. She pushed her long, red hair behind her ears and Bella noticed that her heart rate had increased.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Ms. Moore; I look forward to your class. I'll just take my seat before I become a bother for the other students. I don't want to waste class time." Now Bella was pushing it a little too far, but Ms. Moore ate it up.

"Thank you Bella. I think we'll get along just fine." Ms. Moore watched as Bella moved to the empty desk next to Alice, which she guarded especially for Bella.

Alice lowered her eyes and couldn't help but wonder why Ms. Moore looked at Bella with dreamy eyes. She couldn't help but become slightly jealous that someone else was looking at Bella in that way. Bella technically wasn't Alice's girlfriend, although they probably never broke up, Alice never realized she had someone waiting for her.

"Good morning class, today is going to be an easy day. I'd like you all to read to page 100 in _To Kill a Mockingbird. _Bella since you're new, you can pair up with Alice and read with her. I'm also handing out a study guide so you can answer some questions as you read. This is just to ensure that you're actually reading, and not just gossiping to each other the whole time." Ms. Moore began handing out the sheets of paper to everyone as Bella moved her desk closer to Alice's in one swift movement.

Alice pulled out her copy of the novel, and opened it at page one. "How familiar are you with _To Kill a Mockingbird_?"

"Honestly, I've probably read it over fifty times. It's a good book though." Bella said rather loudly, at least loud enough for Ms. Moore to hear her.

"My Bella, I can already tell you're going to be one of my best students. I'm sure you'll have no problem filling out the study guide if you've read the novel that many times before." Ms. Moore commented as she handed the girls their papers.

"That's Bella for you, always has her nose in a book." Alice commented, wanting Ms. Moore to go away already.

Ms. Moore smiled, and her eyes lingered on Bella for a little while longer before she made her way around to the other students. Alice raised her eyebrows, and then turned to Bella who had a smirk playing on her lips.

"Can she be any more unprofessional?" Alice asked Bella so quiet, that no one else would be able to hear them.

Bella just stared at Alice, trying to gauge her reaction the proper way, "Are you saying you're jealous Alice? This kind of stuff happens all the time, I'm sure you've experienced it as well. She's just fascinated with how I look; we don't exactly fit in with everyone here. Besides, I'm not the one who just persuaded that woman in the office to make out schedules the same. It doesn't take much effort, you know that." Bella tried to explain.

"Yeah…but I think there is a difference between fascination and undressing people with their eyes. Did you see the way she was looking at you? I can tell exactly what she is thinking, if only Edward were here to witness this, he would know for sure." Alice replied, looking down at the paper before her, and idly began writing down all the correct answers.

"Please don't bring up that name. I've only known him for a day, and I already don't like him. I can't help the way I look, but honestly I'm not interested in her one bit." Bella was scribbling on the paper, and was almost finished with all the questions.

"Edward really isn't that bad Bella, he just has his suspicions. He may have come off the wrong way but just give him some time and he will warm up to you I'm sure." Alice was defending Edward, because deep down he wasn't really that bad of a guy. He just came off as an ass when Bella first met him.

Bella didn't reply to Alice, instead she finished writing down her answers, and stared at the book once she was finished. Alice finished her answers not too long after Bella and in attempt to change the subject, she asked, "Did you really read the book that many times?"

Bella nodded her head, "There was a lot of free time in my life. It got rather lonely being by myself, books were all I had sometimes."

Alice stared at Bella, wondering how she had survived being alone all this time. Surely she hadn't been completely alone, "So you're telling me you've always been alone? No one else stayed with you for a while, or you never came across any romantic interests?"

Bella was still staring at the book when she responded, "No, I've never been with anyone else; romantically or any other way. It's just been me the entire time. Sure I've spoken to others of our kind, but it was rather brief and I usually moved on not too long after. You're lucky that you found the Cullens, I'm glad that you've found a safe haven…can I ask if you've ever found any romantic interests?" Bella was afraid of the answer, but she had been curious.

"How can you have managed to be alone the entire time? Surely you had to have someone else out there, or some kind of relief. Has anyone even been able to touch you, or hold you? It's hard to belief that there hasn't been anyone in your life." Alice chose to ignore Bella's last question, she didn't want to upset her. The truth was that she had found romantic interests, more than one during their time apart. Alice wasn't to blame because she didn't remember, but still, she knew it was going to upset Bella. She would find out one day, but she didn't want to tell Bella just yet.

"It was a very lonely existence. All I ever wanted was to have you back; I didn't care about anything else. Sure I suffered severe loneliness, but I knew nothing was ever going to replace you. I couldn't face being surrounded by other people; I figured that if I kept running, kept exploring the world, that would keep me occupied. That only lasted so long, and I felt myself longing to return home. I still can't believe you're sitting next to me. It feels like I'm dreaming, but I know that can't be true." Bella had momentarily forgotten about her own question in attempt to answer Alice's other question.

Right when Alice was about to say something, the bell for the next class rang, and the students got up in a rush to go to their next class. Everyone turned in their work on top of Ms. Moore's desk, and she watched as each one did. Bella and Alice got out of their seats, and headed toward the front of the desk. Alice turned in her work first, and Bella was last.

"Well Ms. Swan, did you enjoy the first day of my class?" Ms. Moore asked a little too eagerly.

Alice was already at the door, staring back in disbelief. Although she got the same treatment from some of her other teachers, it was hard to watch Bella get the same attention. She was jealous, she didn't want to admit it, but it was true.

Bella smiled, and move a strand of hair behind her ear in an ever so innocent way. Alice could tell this was an act, and thought for a moment that Bella was just trying to get a rise out of her. "I really enjoyed it. I think your class will be one of my favorites, I'm going to have to see how the rest of my day goes first before I make any decisions though." Bella pushed the boundaries and winked at Ms. Moore, who obviously loved the gesture.

Ms. Moore leaned forward across her desk, and never took her gaze away from Bella's eyes. "I'm going to have to make sure I'm your favorite then. I never settle for second best."

"Oh Ms. Moore, I honestly think you won't have to worry one bit. I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early." Bella began to walk away, and this time there was a shake to her hip that wasn't there before.

Alice raised her eyebrows as Bella walked toward her. Ms. Moore could be seen staring at Bella from behind, leaning as far as she could get before Bella disappeared into the hallway. "I can't believe you Bella. Why would you do such a thing? You're only making it worse on her."

"How am I making it worse on her? There's nothing wrong with a little flirting, is there? I mean, I'm technically single." Bella hinted, and Alice understood exactly what she was getting at.

"We never really broke up though." Alice mentioned, wondering herself where that put the two girls.

"What does that make us?" Bella asked, being more serious now.

"I'm not sure, we will have to see what happens I suppose, and then go from there." Alice was hesitant to jump into a relationship with Bella. They had just met, even though Alice knew this girl was from her past, she really didn't know all that much about her. There was still a lot to learn about Bella, and a lot of time to do so.

Bella looked disappointed, but quickly covered her appearance with a blank expression. "Looks like I have science next, so I guess I'll see you at lunch then. Too bad we can't have all our classes together."

Alice nodded her head, noticing the disappointed look on Bella's face before it vanished. "Have fun in class. I think someone you know will be in there too." Alice smiled at this last comment, knowing she wasn't going to be happy when she found out who it was.

Before Bella was able to ask who, Alice had disappeared in the crowd of students, and she was left alone. Without wasting any more time, Bella walked to where her science class was and entered the room, immediately spotting the last person she wanted to see. Edward was sitting by himself, just staring at Bella. There was no expression on his face; maybe that was a good thing.

Bella approached the teacher who simply looked at her schedule, smiled, and told her to take the empty seat next to her cousin, which of course meant she would get to sit right next to Edward. Bella could hardly contain the joy…

_I hate my life! _Bella shouted in her head as she approached Edward cautiously. She took a seat next to him, and stared blankly ahead of her. Maybe if she ignored him completely, everything would be okay. Bella had thought too soon however, because Edward was now trying to talk to her.

"I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted last night. It was wrong of me to accuse you like that; I didn't even give you a chance to explain who you are before I started presuming. I'm very sorry." Edward said quietly enough so no one else would hear him.

Bella was skeptical about his apology, but to keep things peaceful, she decided to accept his apology. "I don't blame you for thinking I could be someone I'm not, I don't have the most believable story, but it's true. You have to give me time to see that I'm telling the truth. I never asked to come into your house, or meet you. You're the ones that came to me, I never even knew your coven existed, I'm being honest with you."

"If I was only able to read you, you wouldn't need to worry. Why won't you let me just read you?" Edward asked as more students began to fill the classroom.

"I'm sorry; I don't let anyone get to me that way. I'm very thankful that I have the ability to block you, I'm not comfortable letting someone read my every thought, those are my personal thoughts, some that are meant to be kept to myself. Why can't you just trust someone, I don't understand why you can't believe me without wanting evidence. There's such a thing called trust." Bella responded, quickly becoming annoyed with Edward once more.

Before Edward had time to reply, Mike came into the classroom, practically shouting at Bella. "Hey, do you remember me? I'm Mike from the hardware store!"

Bella nodded her head slowly, trying to react in a calm way so maybe Mike would calm down himself, "Yes, I do remember you. How are you?"

"I'm doing great now that you're in my class. This is so awesome; I know you're going to love it here." Mike said, standing near the desk longer than necessary. Bella stared at Mike while he stared back with a smile on his face, oblivious to Edward sitting next to her, who had been giving him an evil stare.

"Well, it was nice talking to you Mike. I'll see you in a little while." Bella said in an attempt to get Mike to go away. She didn't want to sound mean, but she really didn't know what else to say. She didn't have to explain herself further, because at that point the teacher began speaking, and Mike had no choice but to go to his table.

The rest of the class went on fairly quick; the teacher was giving a lecture the entire time, which made it really hard for Edward to speak to Bella, which she preferred. She just wanted to get out of this class and school for that matter. She had more important things to do than to waste her time in school.

Soon enough science was finished, and Bella went off to her Algebra class, which Alice didn't have with her either. After that came lunch and Bella wasn't sure if she should sit by herself or with the Cullens since she said she was related to them. She even wondered if she had to show up for lunch, or if she could just go off campus and wait around until the next class began. Bella didn't have to think long because Alice showed up next to her, and practically pulled her into the cafeteria, and the two of them sat at the table with the Cullens, but far enough away so they could speak privately. However, Edward decided to sit closer to the two girls, and he joined in their conversation not too long after they had sat down.

"How are you enjoying your first day?" Alice asked, not really minding that Edward was sitting next to them. She figured it was a chance for them to get to know each other better, and hopefully get on better terms. Plus, Alice told Edward to treat Bella with respect or he would have hell to pay once they were alone.

"It's fine I suppose; nothing out of the ordinary. I think after this round of high school, I should really consider going to college. I mean I need somewhere to settle, and I've never had to opportunity to do something like that. I think it would be a nice break from being stuck here." Bella picked at her food, which she had no interest in eating. She only did it so no one would ask why she didn't have anything to eat for lunch, because all eyes were focused on her right now.

"College is wonderful. I've gone there a few times myself, and it's a much better experience than high school." Alice smiled brightly, and looked from Bella to Edward.

"I've gotten a few degrees myself." Edward added.

"With all the time in the world to do whatever I want, I'm sure someday I will get a degree myself. Though, I don't think it would do much good, I wouldn't be able to maintain a steady job, but it would be a learning process." Bella replied, poking what was considered Salisbury steak with her fork, and winced in disgust when something squirted out of the meat.

"I wanted to tell Edward about the record you have of me, if that's alright with you?" Alice asked Bella, staring innocently at her.

"I'm certain he already knows about it since he can read minds, but you can go ahead and tell him anyway." Bella remarked, pushing her tray of food completely to the side and away from her range eye sight.

Alice pulled out the piece of paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and handed it over to Edward. Edward eagerly took the paper and began reading through it carefully, furrowing his eyebrows as he read further through the record.

"We need to tell Carlisle. Maybe he knows someone who can help finding more about this doctor who ran away with you. I'm assuming he has something to do with you being changed, and Carlisle knows a lot of vampires. Perhaps this doctor was one of us and could still be around. He could tell us more about your time in the asylum." Edward suggested.

"Bella and I were going to show Carlisle after school, I'm hoping he does have some kind of information, or lead about it. I really want to know what happened to me." Alice looked at Bella, who was staring at Alice with a sad expression on her face.

Bella wished she knew what happened to Alice after she went to the asylum, but she didn't. She was just as lost as the rest of them. She only knew Alice as a human, when things were different; when Bella knew that Mary Alice was hers forever. Now Bella wasn't so sure of what was going to happen between them. They had kissed, and something was there, there was an old familiar spark that Bella felt when their lips finally met earlier that morning, but Alice seemed to be more excited about getting her memory back than the kiss itself. There were mixed signals, and she wasn't sure what to think of Alice right now. Bella began to wonder if Alice wanted Bella romantically, or if it was just to gain information from her. She hoped it wasn't just for the memory, Alice had kissed her back before she remembered, and there was proof that Bella had to mean something to Alice, even if it was something small.

There was no mention of them kissing, or Alice getting part of her memory back to Edward. Alice kept that part a secret, but Bella began to wonder how much of a secret that was if Edward knew what everyone was thinking. Surely he had to know, unless of course Alice wasn't thinking about it. Bella couldn't tell, but she was determined to get Alice back in her life romantically. She wasn't going to give up on her, no matter if Alice denies her or not. Alice would cave sooner or later; she wanted to have her memory back, so she had to come to Bella for more. Even if that meant Alice would be using Bella simply for the sake of getting her memory back. Bella would win over Alice's heart once more, and it wouldn't be hard. Bella could wait forever for Alice if that's what it took.

If Bella only knew what Alice was thinking, she wouldn't have to worry. Alice wanted Bella, every second she spent with her, she only craved her more. It was almost as if they continued where they left off all those years ago, Alice felt an emotion rise in her that she hadn't felt in a really long time, if ever during her time as an immortal. It was love, love for Bella.

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><p><strong>AN: The chapters just keep getting longer! Thanks for everyone who is reading/reviewing/alerting or just paying attention. This chapter was a bit of a filler, but also important in it's own way. Next chapter preview: Bella get's a tour of the Cullen home, and a more detailed tour of Alice's room. Wink wink. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Alice's regained memories are in italics.**

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><p>School had finally ended, and now Bella was on her way back to the Cullen household in Alice's yellow Porsche. The girls didn't say much to each other, Bella was too busy thinking how this wasn't exactly the same person she fell in love with all those years ago, while Alice was thinking of how she was going to get Bella to open up more to her.<p>

They had only been around each other for a day, but it felt like it has been much longer than that. Bella knew that Alice didn't love her like she loved Alice. It was hard to cope with, but it wasn't Alice's fault that she couldn't remember. It meant that Alice might not fall in love with Bella again, and the chance of losing her, or worse, just being her friend was very possible. Bella didn't want to be just friends with Alice, but she didn't see any kind of move or hint that Alice was interested in Bella on a romantic level. Maybe Bella was just overthinking it. It would be wrong to expect Alice just to jump into a relationship with Bella so soon; Bella just assumed that it would happen that way.

Alice blew past the trees in the forest in lightning speed, she loved going fast in her Porsche; this was one of the greatest pleasures she had. Alice watched from the corner of her eyes as Bella rolled down the window, and stuck her head outside like a dog. She had her eyes closed, and had the most peaceful look to her face. She loved it when the wind was blowing in her hair; it gave her a sense of freedom. She couldn't explain it, but the ways of Mother Nature often left Bella feeling at peace.

Alice began to chuckle at Bella, who was now smiling, but continued to hang her head out of the window. The feel of the wind blowing in the car made Alice feel lighter, if that made sense. She rolled her own window down so there would be an even flow of wind coming in and out of the car. For a moment, the two girls enjoyed something simple together, and it was nice.

Then it started to rain once more. She expected Bella to stick her head back in the car once the heavy drops began to pound against the Porsche, but was surprised when Bella stuck her head out even further, and turned her face upward towards the sky.

"Enjoying yourself, are we?" Alice asked with humor in her voice.

"It's such an amazing feeling!" Bella practically shouted back at Alice. The cool drops of rain splashing hard against her hardened skin had little effect on her, but she still loved the feeling, no matter how small it was.

Having her fill of the rain, Bella stuck her head back into the car, and finally rolled up the window. She turned her head slowly to an amused Alice, and all she could do was smile. It was nice to see that smile again. Bella had missed Mary Alice so much; she tried as hard as she could to remember everything about her. The one thing she made sure to never forget was her smile. To Bella, it was one of the most beautiful things in the world.

"You're so beautiful." Bella said in a whisper. It wasn't quiet enough to get past Alice however; she heard each word with perfect clarity.

Alice pulled into the Cullen's driveway, and drove slowly into the garage. Bella's words had made Alice feel something unusual inside of her. She felt peaceful, but also nervous at the same time. Yes, Bella made Alice nervous. It was rare for Alice to be nervous about anything, but this was a good kind of nervous. She was genuinely touched by Bella's words, no matter how simple they may have been. It was the simplest things in life that meant the most.

She turned off the ignition and turned to face Bella who was soaked from the neck up, and was staring intensely at Alice. Alice moved her hand closer to Bella's face, and pushed some of the wet strands of hair behind her ear. Her hand brushed against Bella's cheek, and Bella pushed her face against her hand, practically begging for attention. Alice's thumb caressed Bella's cheek slowly, and Bella closed her eyes in relief. Alice was actually touching her, and it felt wonderful. The simplest touch from Alice made Bella melt. Bella inhaled sharply, smelling the intoxicating scent that surrounded Alice. She had smelled the same as she had when she was human, and this only made Bella smile like a fool.

Alice's hand continued to caress Bella's cheek as her other hand moved toward the back of Bella's neck, only to pull her closer into Alice. Bella opened her eyes only to be met with another pair of golden orbs, right before Alice closed the gap between their lips in a soft kiss. Bella's hands wrapped around Alice's back, and clung desperately on the fabric of her clothing.

The center console kept the two girls from practically colliding with each other, which both girls found to be very annoying at the moment. Their kiss progressed deeper; Alice opened her mouth to which Bella eagerly complied. Bella's eyes opened wide when she felt Alice's tongue for the first time in ages. It was both shocking, and amazing at the same time. This only added fuel to the fire, as Bella tried desperately to bring Alice's body closer to her. She began pulling Alice toward her, causing the smaller woman to land right on top of Bella's lap. Alice sat on top of Bella with her legs spread wide across Bella's own, and the girls continued kissing from that position.

Alice had to admit that she was turned on, and if they didn't stop soon, they would end up having sex right then and there. That was of course, if Bella wanted it to go that far. From what Alice could tell, Bella was more than willing to go all the way. Alice's mind began to flash with blurry images, to which she tried to shake off, but the more she kissed Bella, the clearer the images became.

"_Mary Alice, are you okay?" Mary Alice heard Bella's voice ask from the right of her. She was lying in a bed, and she felt tears on her face. She had been crying, but didn't know why._

"_I had a horrible dream…about my mother." Mary Alice replied; wiping the few tears away. _

_She felt a hand on her shoulder, and felt the slight pressure of being turned around. Once she was turned, she was met with light brown eyes, which once belonged to Isabella. _

"_Do you want to talk about it?" Isabella asked; wiping away one of the tears Mary Alice had forgotten about._

"_I don't like the visions I've been having about my father. I think…he is the one responsible for my mother's death. I can't get that feeling to go away, and the visions I've been having aren't very pleasant. I'm scared to go home." Mary Alice held back her tears; she didn't want Isabella to see her weakness, but she couldn't help herself. She had no one else but Isabella to turn to, she trusted Isabella with everything she had. Isabella never questioned Mary Alice's visions, she was the only one who believed her, and comforted her in her time of need. Isabella was a life saver; Mary Alice clung to Isabella, and hid her tears in the cloth of Isabella's night dress. _

"_You can stay with me, you don't have to go back home. I love you Mary Alice, I don't want anything bad to ever happen to you. I will always be next to you, if you'll allow me to be there of course. I never want to leave your side. I'll do everything I can to keep you safe, I promise." Isabella never looked away from Mary Alice as she said this. She knew Isabella meant every single word. _

_Mary Alice loved Isabella desperately; she was her angel, the only thing that was good in her life. Isabella was all she had to hang onto, she didn't know where she would be if Isabella hadn't moved next to her on that one fateful day. They were meant to be together, that much was certain. _

"_I love you Isabella, I don't know what I would ever do without you. I want to be yours forever; no one can ever replace you." Mary Alice said, her tears suddenly gone. The hope she had for her and Isabella's future made Mary Alice forget about the dreadful dream she just had. If they could only run away together, find some way to be together safely, everything would be better._

Alice came back to the present, and her head was resting against Bella's shoulder. She lifted her head up, and was met with a worried looking Bella.

"Another vision?" Bella asked.

Alice nodded her head, "I'm supposed to be having visions of the future, not of the past, but I'm not complaining. Oh, Emmett is coming in his car; we better make ourselves look proper before he starts teasing us." Thankfully Alice was still able to have visions of the future; otherwise Emmett would have a field day with what Bella and Alice were doing in the car.

Bella smirked, and opened the car door. Alice grabbed her keys out of the ignition, and slid out of Bella's lap, quickly straightening out her clothes before the roar of Emmett's Jeep could be heard pulling up next to Alice's car. Alice forced herself to think of something else momentarily because she knew Edward was in the car too. She didn't want to share her private moments with Edward, she had developed this tactic well over the years so it wasn't a problem. However, Edward caught on whenever she was doing it, because her thoughts would be completely random.

Emmett stepped out of his car as Bella was getting out of the Porsche, trying to wipe the smile off her face so it wouldn't be so evident.

"Hey Bella, nice to see you again." Emmett said as he passed by with Rosalie not too far behind him. Rosalie only nodded to both the girls, and continued on her way inside the house.

Jasper wasn't far behind them with Danielle by his side. He could sense the lingering emotion Alice felt, and only smiled lightly at the thought of what might have been going on before they showed up. Danielle approached Bella and Alice with a smile, "Did you enjoy your first day back at high school? I know it can be a bore, but it isn't so bad." Danielle commented.

"It wasn't that bad, it certainly won't be a challenge." Bella replied, smiling in return at Danielle. She was the only other one of the Cullens that seemed approachable besides Alice.

Danielle nodded her head in agreement, and then focused her attention on Alice. It was obvious that something had happened between the two girls; Alice's clothes were rumpled, which she would never allow. Bella was trying to hide her smile from Danielle, and every time her face became calm, her smile would just return a few seconds later.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad. We're all used to it by now, so that makes it even better. I'll talk to you guys later; it looks like you've been busy." Danielle teased, before she left in attempt to catch up with Jasper.

Bella looked to Alice, who was trying to straighten out her clothes before Edward got any ideas about what they had been doing. She had a feeling if Edward knew how Alice and Bella were just making out; he would try to do something to stop it from happening again. She sensed that Edward either was jealous that she had a love interest, or perhaps Edward wanted Bella for himself. It wasn't certain that either one of those was true, but Alice just felt strange about the way Edward had been acting around Bella. He didn't have anyone, and maybe seeing a female vampire move down the road from him caught his interest.

This was Alice's woman, not Edwards. He would have to find another woman to go after, because Alice didn't want to let Bella go. Alice moved closer to Bella as Edward approached from Emmett's Jeep, and passed by them with a curious expression on his face. He stopped momentarily, looked to Alice and asked, "Are you going to talk to Carlisle? I'd like to listen to what he has to say about the record if you don't mind?"

Alice shook her head, "No I haven't spoken to him yet, but I was just about to. Come on, we can go now. I don't want to wait anymore."

Edward nodded his head, and walked inside the house while Bella and Alice followed shortly behind him. Alice placed her hand over Bella's and grasped it tightly in her own. In a way she was guiding Bella to Carlisle's office, but she also wanted to hint at Edward not to try anything funny with Bella. Although he didn't see it from behind, he would eventually. Bella's smile grew wider when Alice held her hand; just the touch of Alice made Bella ecstatic.

Bella looked around eagerly as they walked up the stairs and were led down a hallway with several doors, all which were shut. Bella wondered which one belonged to Alice and if she would get to see what it looked like after they were done speaking to Carlisle. She hoped they would get to be alone, if not at Alice's house, then at her own.

They approached a door at the end of the hallway, and Edward knocked lightly on it for permission to enter. While Edward was waiting for a response, he turned around and immediately noticed that the girls were holding hands. Alice just stared at Edward with an innocent expression; she could tell he instantly became uncomfortable. Edward lingered on their hands for a while, and then looked up to Alice with an odd expression on his face. Bella was oblivious to their nonverbal interaction; she was too busy thinking of how wonderful it felt just to be holding Alice's hand.

Carlisle could be heard on the other side of the door finally, telling whoever it was at the door that they could come in. Edward turned the knob on the door and opened it in a hurry. For whatever reason, the sight of the girls holding hands made him feel awkward. Edward stepped in first and the girls followed behind him, still hand in hand.

"Good afternoon, it's nice to see you again Bella." Carlisle smiled toward the girls and Edward, taking note of the fact that Bella and Alice were joined at the hands.

Alice approached Carlisle, and let go of Bella's hand only to pull out the record she had folded up in her pocket. Bella was momentarily disappointed when they stopped holding hands, but didn't take it to heart. "Good afternoon Carlisle." She responded quietly.

"Bella showed this to me last night, and I thought you might be able to help us out. It's my record from when I was in the mental hospital." Alice handed over the paper, to which Carlisle immediately took an interest to. He sat up in his chair from behind his rather large desk, and began to unfold the paper.

Bella looked around Carlisle's office and was amazed at how much stuff was in it. There were books everywhere, most of which looked ancient. Bella began to wonder how old Carlisle really was, but chose not to ask that question at that particular moment.

Carlisle read through the record fairly quickly, and then looked to Bella, who was still looking around his office. "When did you get this record?"

Bella focused her attention back on Carlisle, Alice, and Edward, who were all looking back at her with curiosity in their eyes. Alice was on her left, and Edward was on her right, which left Carlisle in the center. She thought it was odd to see them in such an odd position, but she shook that thought out of her head and finally answered Carlisle, "I got a copy of her record right before I came here. It was the first time I had been back to Biloxi since I was human."

"And you have never visited Alice while she was institutionalized? You never knew of this Dr. Hunter who escaped with Alice?" Carlisle questioned.

"No, I wasn't allowed to visit. I never saw her after she was institutionalized. I've heard that name somewhere before though, it's very familiar to me, but I can't quite place it. I know I've heard the name mentioned before, I can't remember when though." Bella thought hard on where she had heard that name before, but she simply couldn't remember.

"I'll have to contact some of my friends and see if they know anything about it. The Volturi might even know something about this character, if he even was a vampire. It's worth asking, just to know if this doctor turned you, or if it was someone else." Carlisle said while he pulled out a notebook to which he began writing in.

"Thank you Carlisle, I'd love to find out anything about my past. Now that I have Bella I have actually started to remember parts of my human life." Alice admitted, not caring if Edward was there to hear her or not.

"What do you mean remember? How can you just remember like that?" Edward asked, looking back at Bella who was just staring at the trio.

"When I get close to her, after we've spoken for a while, I have flashbacks of things I've never remembered doing before. She is in my memory, I can see her clearly in my flashbacks, but they're very brief when they do happen." Alice tried to explain further to Edward.

"That's amazing. The fact that you are starting to get bits and pieces back from just being around Bella is stunning. Bella must be acting as a kind of trigger for you; you're starting to get parts of your memory from your human life back. What exactly did you remember?" Carlisle asked curiously.

Alice didn't want to say exactly what she remembered, and tried to block out her truthful thoughts from Edward as she responded, "I just remember being outside with Bella, at one of her parents family picnics. We went exploring in the forest for a while. The other one was just me talking to her about the future, ironically enough."

Edward raised his eyebrows, and Carlisle furrowed his in thought, "It seems the more time you spend with Bella, the more likely you are to get your memory back. That would be amazing if you were able to remember your human life after all these years. Perhaps it would even bring back memories of when you were in the asylum too, but we will have to see what comes of this. I suggest you spend as much time with Bella as you can, the more you're with her, the more likely you'll gain more of your memory back." Carlisle said with a smile on his face. He didn't think it would be too difficult for the girls to spend time together, it already seemed like they had known each other forever when it reality, Bella only came to them the day before.

"Are you sure you're getting your memory back and not just imagining things?" Edward asked.

"I'm positive Edward. How can I just make up stuff like that? There are things Bella knows that no one else would. I know she's telling the truth, and I know I'm not imagining things. This is real; Bella is bringing back my memories. I'm sorry if it bothers you, but it's not your memory, is it?" Alice defended herself as well as Bella, who was happy to hear that Alice truly believed her.

"Let's not have another event like yesterday, shall we? I'm going to call some people and see what I can come up with about this Dr. Hunter. In the meantime, why don't you show Bella around our house Alice? I'm sure she would love to see everything we've collected over the years." Carlisle said, intentionally excluding Edward's name. He didn't want Edward to cause anymore drama than what has already happened.

"Thanks again Carlisle. Come on Bella, I'll show you around." Alice's arm moved behind Bella's back and gently led her out of Carlisle's office. Edward stayed behind, but he watched as the door to Carlisle's office slowly closed behind them. Edward didn't like what was going on, not at all. Alice just wasn't sure why.

"Why is Edward so disbelieving?" Bella whispered to Alice as they walked down the hallway. They were walking down the row of doors again, approaching the end of the hall, which crossed with another hallway. This one was much more secluded, and didn't have as many doors as the main one. They certainly did live in a mansion, Bella wondered what had been behind all of the doors, but she figured they were their own private rooms. The house was very quiet, but Bella liked that.

"I'm not sure what his problem is, but I have an idea. I'll let you in on a little secret, but you have to promise not to tell anyone." Alice said, suddenly stopping in front of one of the doors at the far end of the hall.

Bella raised her index finger to her lips, and made a silent signal. Alice stared at her for a minute, noticing that Bella's eyes had gotten darker. There was a certain pull to Bella's eyes, sure they were the same as her own, but these eyes were somehow familiar to Alice. She took a step closer toward Bella, causing Bella to bump against the back of the door. Alice placed her arms on each side of Bella, pinning her to the door as her face inched closer and closer to the other girl.

"I think Edward has a little crush on you." Alice said in a deep, husky voice. Her eyes were playing with Bella's; they never took their eyes away from each other.

Bella licked her lips in anticipation for whatever was to come, and replied, "That's too bad for Edward."

"Why is that?" Alice asked immediately.

Bella paused, liking this kind of attention from Alice. She would have never imagined herself to be in this position with Mary Alice just a few days ago. Now here she was, pinned to the wall by none other than Mary Alice, who was practically begging Bella for just one more push. One more push to send her over the edge, to take that extra step with Bella that hadn't been crossed in decades.

"Because, I love another. Plus, boys have cooties." Bella smiled, and Alice chuckled at her statement.

"Who is it that you love? Am I going to have to go after them so I can be the object of your affection?" Alice replied, reaching her hand for the doorknob, and slowly began to turn it.

"No need to worry my sweet, for it is you that I love. No one else but you, Alice. I still have the urge to call you Mary Alice, that's all I'll ever see you as, my Mary Alice." All playfulness had vanished from Bella's face when she said this, she was being completely serious.

Alice moved closer toward Bella, seeking to kiss Bella once more, but before she could close the gap completely Bella asked, "I thought you were taking me on a tour of the house?"

Alice smiled, still lingering only centimeters away from Bella's lips as she replied, "But I am taking you on a tour. I thought I'd show you the most important room in the house first, my room." With that said, Alice pushed the door open, and Bella was pushed into the room by Alice's body. Alice closed the door behind her with her foot, and continued to stare at Bella. Her lips still lingering ever so close to Bella's.

"Nice room." Bella said without actually looking around, she was too entranced by Alice to look at anything else but her.

Alice moved her lips that extra centimeter before their lips collided for the second time that day. This time there was a lot more force; Bella felt the push behind Alice's lips as they competed for dominance. Alice's hands roamed over Bella's sides, eagerly feeling every inch she could get her hands on. She wasn't sure what was going to happen, or how far things would progress, but Alice was certain that she wanted Bella, and she wanted her desperately.

Bella's hands roamed down Alice's backside, gripped Alice's butt, and lifted her off the ground completely. Alice squealed in delight when she felt herself being picked up, she felt Bella's hands graze against her sex while in the process. Alice's entire body was pressed against Bella; her breasts were now pushed delightfully against Bella's own. Bella began to look somewhere to lie down so she could get more comfortable with Alice, but there wasn't a bed anywhere around. Seeing nothing near to where they were, Bella decided to prop Alice against the wall, and hold most of Alice's weight with her knee, which happened to be pressing right against Alice's sex.

Though her jeans were in the way, the mere pressure of Bella's knees against Alice's sex made Alice sigh in delight. It had been such a long time since she was touched there, any kind of affection to her sex would surely send Alice overboard, and into a raging orgasm.

"It's a shame you don't have a bed." Bella said in between kisses. She had lowered her lips down to Alice's neck, and began massaging parts of Alice's neck with her tongue.

Alice was ravishing from the feeling of Bella's tongue against her. The soft and wet feeling sent shivers down Alice's spine, and she was quickly getting overwhelmed from the pleasure she was receiving. Bella's hand's had moved to Alice's blouse, and slowly pushed it up, revealing Alice's porcelain stomach. "I'll buy a bed for us." Alice said in-between her low toned moans of pleasure.

Bella's hands moved up Alice's stomach, feeling her flesh for the first time in ages. She remembered the last time she had touched Alice's stomach, almost a century ago. For anyone to wait that long to be able to touch their lover again, must have had an impenetrable will of patience. To Bella, there was no other option. She was determined to live her life alone when she thought Mary Alice was long gone, but there was a second chance given to her. To have the opportunity to touch Mary Alice once more, there were no words Bella could say that would explain the happiness she felt. It was a miracle, like a phoenix rising from its ashes, Alice was never really dead, and that broke Bella's zombie like state that she had been in all the years before.

Bella had calmed down enough to where she was able to think about what she was doing. Her desire to touch Alice and just take her right then and there had blocked her rational senses. She could tell by Alice's face that she wanted it too, but was it for the right reasons? Bella's fingers grazed across Alice's stomach, and slowly began to unbutton her blouse. She still wanted to touch Alice, but she was doing it in a calmer nature now.

Bella looked into Alice's eyes, and for a moment they just stared at each other. Bella's hand moved over Alice's stomach softly, unsnapping her buttons the further she went up. Alice narrowed her eyes, and bit her lip as she watched Bella, eagerly waiting on what she was going to do. Bella closed her eyes, relishing in the feeling of skin to skin contact. There was so much emotion threatening to come out of her at that moment, it was almost too much for her to handle. "I love you, Alice." Bella uttered, still holding on tightly to Alice.

Alice wasn't sure what to say, she was taken off guard. What could she say? That she loved her back? Alice wasn't entirely sure it was love, but there was something there, something very strong. She opened her mouth the reply, but that turned out to not be necessary. Alice felt a vision coming on, she wasn't sure if it was one of the past, or of the future.

"_I love you Isabella, never forget that." Mary Alice said with a smile on her face. The girls were down by the small creek that wasn't far from their houses. They were sitting on the bank under the shade of a tree, just enjoying each other's company._

"_How could I ever forget that? You'll always be there by my side to remind me." Isabella replied, nuzzling her head into Mary Alice's shoulder. The scent on the shorter girl only made Isabella want to bury her head deeper against her, Mary Alice could feel Isabella pushing harder against her shoulder._

_Mary Alice lifted Isabella's head with a smile on her face, "If I could marry you, I would. I would do it in an instant. There is no one else out there for me. Sadly, the only thing I can promise is that I'll always love you." Mary Alice kissed Isabella on the forehead._

"_I have no doubt that your love is everlasting, which is enough for me. I love you too, with all my heart." Isabella smiled and gripped Mary Alice's hand tighter._

"_I'll always keep your heart safe; you have nothing to worry about." Her arm wrapped around Isabella's shoulder, and together they stared off into the sunset._

Alice came back from her vision with a sad look on her face. She had promised Bella so much, but she wasn't there for her. She wasn't able to be there for Bella, Alice had broken her promise. She looked to Bella who was staring back at her with only love in her eyes. She had set Alice back on the floor, and was able to refrain from touching her further.

"Do you have any idea how incredibly sweet you were as a human? These flashbacks make it so easy to fall for you." Alice said.

Bella only stared at Alice with a small smile on her face.

"I promised I would keep your heart safe…I'm sorry I wasn't able to keep that promise." Alice said on a more serious note.

"It's not your fault, please don't blame yourself. You had no idea what your life was like, I understand. Besides, you have me now. You can still keep it safe…it's always belonged to you. That is, if you still want me." Bella said, letting her confusion be shown.

Alice pulled Bella in closer toward her, kissed her lightly on the forehead, and then pulled her even further in for a hug. Bella held Alice with just as much force as she had. "Of course I want you Bella. I can feel something between us, it's hard to explain, but it feels like I've always known you existed…at least in my heart."

"You have no idea how good it feels to hold you, just to touch you is like a dream." Bella mumbled against Alice's shoulder.

Alice only held her tighter, "You'll have forever to hold me, touch me, and do whatever you please to me. I'm not going anywhere this time, I promise."

Alice had a flash of a vision. She saw Danielle approaching her bedroom door with Edward quick on her tail. He must have gotten Danielle to come along with him so that he wouldn't look so desperate to get them apart.

"Bella, Edward and Danielle are coming. I think we had better finish the tour I was supposed to give you, only this time I think you'll have a couple of more tour guides." Alice smiled, but was actually really annoyed that they were coming to break the girls up. She didn't care if Edward knew it or not, he didn't have a right to patrol Alice's love life.

"Must he always bother us?" Bella asked as she slowly pulled away from Alice's hold.

"I'm afraid so dear, at least for now. Perhaps we can finish where we left off at your place sometime?" Alice questioned, as she tried to straighten herself out.

"It's a date." Bella replied.

Together the girls approached Alice's bedroom door, and opened it before Danielle and Edward had the chance to make it to her door.

"And that's my room; shall we go on to the rest of the house? Oh, hey guys! I was just showing Bella around the house." Alice tried her best to act like nothing had happened, but everyone there knew something was going on.

"We were just going to join you on the tour. It'll give me a chance to get to know Bella better." Danielle said, looking from one girl to the next.

"Sure, why not?" Alice replied, making a note to ask Danielle why she had agreed to come up there with Edward once Bella had gone.

The rest of the afternoon was spent giving a tour of the Cullen house as promised. Bella didn't seem that interested in the house as she was about the pixie that lived in it. Every once in a while she would look to Alice, only to find her looking back at her. The only difference Bella saw in Alice now was that she was with a rather large family. Before it was just her and Alice, but it seemed like Edward was trying to wedge his way in-between the two of them. There was nothing wrong with being friendly with Edward, but the way he came off seemed like there was something else there besides just feelings of friendship. Perhaps Bella was wrong, she hoped she was.

If Edward thinks he'll be able to successfully come between Alice and Bella, then he has no concept of what it's like to truly be in love.

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><p><strong>AN: Things are starting to get steamy between the girls! It's hard keeping your hands to yourself after not being able to touch each other for almost a century. Thanks to all who are reading and/or reviewing. Next chapter preview: What is going on with Edward?**


	10. Chapter 10

A few days had passed since Alice and Bella had their encounter in Alice's room. It's not that the two girls didn't want to be alone together, it was just that every chance they were able to be alone; Edward, or someone else would show up. Edward was the main culprit, and the girls were starting to become really annoyed by him always hanging around.

Alice figured that at some point Edward caught on to how fast their relationship was developing, and wanted to plant himself right in the middle before it got too serious too soon. She had no idea how she was going to get past Edward, even when they were at Bella's house, Edward would show up or call. He only had to read Alice's thought before she saw Bella, and he was there in a flash.

The only time Alice and Bella found time to be without Edward was during class, and even there Edward was on them like a fly right after class had let out. Bella had become agitated by how often he would come up to them and have nothing important to say, but would refuse to leave. This made is rather hard on Bella to be close to Alice.

The girls were currently sitting in English class, pretending to read silently, when they were actually passing notes. They did it so fast that Ms. Moore never noticed a thing. She was too busy grading papers anyway, and it wasn't like the girls would miss anything important by not reading.

_I need to see you alone, without Edward. _Bella passed the note quickly to Alice, who looked at it briefly, and nodded her head. She grabbed her pen and began to scribble something down, and then handed it back to Bella.

_It seems almost impossible to get rid of him. I need to talk to Edward alone and figure out why he is doing this. _

Bella quickly wrote something down and gave it back to Alice; _you know why he is doing this. He doesn't want us getting closer._

Alice looked at the note and just nodded her head once more. She most likely knew why Edward was doing this, because he wanted to win Bella over. She was certain that it wasn't going to happen, the way Bella was devoted to her made it seem impossible for her to love anyone else. Bella belonged to Alice, and that's how it was going to be. The sooner Edward got that in his head, the better.

The bell rang for the next class to begin, and Bella got up out of her seat in a very slow manner. She didn't want to have to sit next to Edward and listen to him ramble on about himself any longer, she had heard enough. "I'm thinking of skipping science. I really don't want to go." Bella mumbled.

"Skipping class? Is something wrong with your next class? I can write you a pass and let your science teacher know you'll be helping me, I'm sure he'll understand." Ms. Moore spoke from behind Bella, which took Bella completely off guard.

Bella looked from Ms. Moore's hopeful face to Alice's glare, and decided it was best to go to science class after all, "That's okay Ms. Moore, I have a lab today and I'm just not sure I'll do well. I can't miss it though, but I appreciate your offer." Bella lied, and began walking out of the class with Alice quick to her side.

"Not a problem Bella; just let me know if I can help you with anything else." Ms. Moore said in a dreamy voice. Alice swore she heard her sigh when they left the room.

"I believe Ms. Moore has fallen in love." Alice said with a hint of jealousy as they walked through the crowded hall.

"Don't worry about Ms. Moore, it's not like she is going to do anything with me. She's a teacher, and I'm her student. Besides, I don't love her. I only want you, and you should know that." Bella replied quietly, making sure none of the other students heard them.

They had approached the science classroom within seconds, and found Edward eagerly waiting inside. Both of the girls stared at him for a minute as he smiled weakly back at them. Alice turned her attention back to Bella, and noticed a few strands of hair were out of place. Slowly, Alice took her hand and pushed the strands of hair that threatened to block the view of her beautiful face. She wanted to do more, but she refrained. "I know, have fun in class." Alice replied simply, and walked away.

Bella watched in silence as Alice disappeared down the hall, in the mass crowd. Her eyes lingered to where she last saw Alice, and eventually lowered her gaze to the floor. She didn't like hiding her feelings or tip toeing around the subject. She loved Alice and didn't care who knew, unfortunately she had gotten into a bit of a bind by telling everyone she was related to the Cullens.

She walked into the science classroom, and took her seat next to Edward, who watched her carefully. At first Bella didn't look at him, but she felt his gaze on her, and eventually looked up to greet him. "Hey Edward, how's it going?" Bella said casually, not really caring what he said to her.

"I'm doing well, thanks for asking. How about yourself?" He asked in return, turning more of his body to face her direction.

"I'm alright; I'm just ready for school to be over. I have a few more things I need to do to the house before it's finished." Bella replied, hoping that Edward would leave it at that.

"What things need to be done? I can help you if you would like?" Edward offered.

Bella pursed her lips together, and took a few seconds to answer to make it seem like she was considering it, when she really wasn't, and replied, "That's alright Edward, I can handle it myself. Besides, I like the satisfaction of knowing I can fix my parent's house to the way it once was. It makes me happy knowing that I did it all by myself, I appreciate your offer though."

"I have a question about your ability, if you don't mind answering for me?" Edward asked curiously.

Bella looked to Edward and nodded her head for him to go on.

"Can you block abilities from working on other people? I've noticed every time Alice gets closer to you, I can't read her." Edward replied, obviously frustrated by this.

Bella raised her eyebrows, honestly surprised at this revelation, "I had no idea I was able to do that. I thought it only worked for me."

"It seems your ability protects the people around you as well." Edward said quietly.

Luckily, class had started at that moment, and Edward no longer said anything to Bella. However, she was certain that the conversation wasn't over. She would probably hear more about it during lunch, and he most likely would show up at her house anyway. Once again the class was mainly a lecture, but she knew she would eventually have to work with Edward side by side. Hopefully by then Alice would have spoken to Edward about being around them too much, and Bella would finally be able to speak to Edward without wanting to murder him. Edward was tolerable, but Bella had enough of him. All she wanted was Alice, just to be alone with her, but that wasn't going to happen with Edward hanging around all the time.

_Later that day…_

Bella had gone back to her house alone that day; she didn't want to deal with Edward any longer, even if that meant she wouldn't get to see Alice. She had said she was going to talk to Edward, and hopefully things would be settled between them. For the moment, Bella began tidying up the house once more. She had her record player on, this time it was a swing tune from the 30's. She had to make space in the old house for a new bed because had ordered one not too long after her encounter with Alice the other day.

The music played quietly as light rain pounded against the newly fixed windows. She was quiet pleased with herself for making all the improvements to the house, she didn't think she would be able to do it all on her own, but she did. Bella glanced at the picture of her and Alice that was currently in her hand. She wished she could have her Mary Alice back, just the way she was before. She didn't want anyone else getting in the way, it wasn't so complicated back when it was just the two of them. She placed the picture carefully back in her wallet, and set it down gently against the kitchen table. There was a fresh supply of blood in the fridge, and Bella had gained an appetite over the past couple of days.

Stored in a nice glass pitcher, was fresh doe blood. Bella got a glass out of the cupboard, and began to pour some of the blood into the cup. She found storing the blood much easier than having to go out all the time and hunt for more. She started saving enough to last her at least a month, and when she had too, she would go out again. Bella sat at the kitchen table with her glass of blood, and gazed blankly out the window. At first, she really wasn't looking at anything, but then she found herself staring at her parent's graves. They had been buried in the backyard together, but their headstones were in horrible condition. She had missed her parents terribly when she changed; there was no way to go back to them after what had happened, how could she? She hated the fact that they thought she was dead; they never found a body, so the worst was assumed.

"I love you mom and dad." Bella whispered quietly to herself, in her quiet home, in the quiet forest, all by herself. The feelings of loneliness had returned to Bella as quick as she had thought they were gone. She hadn't been around anyone in ages, and to suddenly be thrown together with Alice made her dazed. She didn't realize how much she had already missed Alice, and it was only a couple of hours since she last saw her.

Bella had it bad, but she always had. Mary Alice never wanted to be apart from Isabella, and maybe that's why they were madly in love. They spent every second they could together; they both clinged to each other with all their might. Bella sipped at her drink quietly when she heard the doorbell ring. She glanced out of the window that was next to the front door, and saw that there was a delivery truck outside. Quickly, Bella finished her drink, and put the rest back in the fridge before she went to open the door.

Meanwhile at the Cullen household Alice and Edward were having a nice little chat. She had asked him to come into her room so that they were able to speak privately, and he agreed to meet and talk about what was on her mind.

"Edward, this isn't easy to say, but I've noticed that you've been spending a lot of time with Bella. I'm just curious as to why you are doing so when you didn't seem to like her the first time you guys met?" Alice asked casually. She didn't want to make a big deal out of it, she just wanted to ask Edward to back off a bit so she could have some alone time with Bella. They barely had a chance to rekindle their relationship, and he was already causing a problem.

"I'm sorry Alice; I'm just trying to get to know her better. Is something wrong with that?" Edward asked, mocking innocence.

"No, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that every time I manage to get some alone time with Bella, you're always there. Would it be so bad if I asked if I could have some privacy with her? Do you like Bella too or why does it seem like you're always running to get in the way whenever you know we're alone?" Alice asked, genuinely trying to figure out why Edward was doing this. She didn't want to sound mean, but she also didn't want to beat around the bush.

Edward didn't reply at first, his stare was cool and collected as he replied, "She intrigues me, I can't deny that. I'm interested in her abilities, I want to study her, and I want to know about her past."

"Do you have feelings for her? Could you see yourself wanting Bella in that way?" Alice was trying to get a simple yes or no out of Edward, but it didn't look like that was going to happen.

"What if I spent time with Bella while you weren't there? Would that make you feel better, if I gave the two of you some alone time, and just spoke to her when you two have nothing planned?" Edward asked, obviously dodging the question.

"You're not answering the question." Alice pointed out, making sure to say nothing else to cause a distraction.

Edward's eyes lowered, and a scowl crossed his face as he replied, "I don't know, but I know I don't want to get in the way of your happiness."

Alice's suspicions seemed correct, and she could see that if Edward were to try anything with Bella, she wasn't going to go for it. "You know she only loves me. She doesn't want anyone else, so I think if you tried anything, you'll be denied instantly."

Edward said nothing; he only stared at Alice with the same scowl on his face. Alice was only protecting Bella, and what she said was nothing but the truth. Bella was devoted to Alice, there was no one else out there Bella would even think twice to look at. The girl loved her unconditionally, and Alice wasn't going to let someone like that slip away.

Suddenly Edward's mouth twitched in what Alice thought was a small smirk, and he opened his mouth to speak, "Bella may love you unconditionally, but what about you? Does she know about the many people you've slept with over the years? Does she know about Danielle?"

As much as Alice wanted to say Edward was wrong, he wasn't. Alice had her share of lovers of the years, all of them brown haired and brown eyed. She was always seeking her mystery girl, failing to find the one lover that fit her vision completely. Danielle was one of her lovers long ago, and although their relationship was over and Danielle was with Jasper now, something still lingered. Alice didn't love Danielle the way she loved her, and Danielle never really got over that. Alice had her suspicions that Danielle still had feelings for her, but she wasn't entirely sure. They had never spoken about it since she got with Jasper.

"No, Bella doesn't know yet. I plan on telling her though." Alice replied, not seeing that conversation going very well.

"How do you think that's going to make her feel? To know that her one true love had several other loves?" Edward asked, trying his best not to sound too condescending.

"I'm sure she'll understand. I didn't know she existed, it's not like I cheated on her." Alice explained, not liking where Edward was taking the conversation. She crossed her arms across her chest, and turned slightly away from Edward. The truth was that she wasn't sure how Bella would take it, though why would Alice not make love to anyone when she had no idea someone was out there who loved her? She was a free woman, at least that's how Alice saw it.

Edward moved toward the door, he thought the conversation was over. "You're going to have to tell her eventually Alice, the longer you wait, the harder it'll be on her. Perhaps I can tell her if you don't."

"It's not your place to tell her that, so don't even think about it. And please, give us some privacy. Believe it or not, Bella has been complaining about you being around too much, it's not just me asking you, it's the both of us. Bella is mine Edward, so back off." Alice said in a harsh tone. She didn't want Edward getting in any of their business; especially he is trying to get in-between the two of them.

Alice moved toward the door, and opened it for Edward. The glare she was giving Edward was enough to scare anyone away, but not Edward. He didn't take Alice seriously, "I can see Bella whenever I want to Alice. It's not my fault if she starts falling for me."

Alice tried to keep from laughing at Edward's arrogance, "Get over yourself Edward. She won't fall for you, I promise. I can see the future, remember? You have no chance."

Edward and Alice had rarely fought over the years, and the way the conversation was going shocked and surprised both of the Cullens. Bella was the subject of their argument, for both of them had feelings for her. Edward raised his eyebrows at Alice's statement and replied, "We'll see about that."

With that said, Edward walked out of Alice's room, and Alice closed the door right behind him, almost hitting him before he had the chance to move completely away. She sighed, and leaned against the door. That conversation didn't go well at all, but at least she knew the truth. Edward did have some form of feelings for Bella, and he was going to try to get her to feel something for him.

_Should I tell Bella about Edward, or just not mention it to her? _Alice thought as she ran her hand through her short hair. For a moment, she wondered how her hair had gotten to be so short, because in the picture Bella showed her, her hair was rather long. Then she wondered if Carlisle found out any more information about her past. Her hand lingered in her hair, as she pulled slowly on the short strands, she didn't know what to do.

Without much thought, Alice got up from her position against the door, and moved to her windows. She opened one quietly, and jumped out and onto the ground below her. She took one last look back at her house, and ran off as quick as she could. She didn't want Edward to know what she was doing, but chances are he already knew.

Alice wasn't able to get far before she was stopped by someone calling out her name. It was a woman's voice, and for a second Alice thought it was Bella. The long brown hair had fooled her, for it was Danielle that was calling out her name. They weren't very far from the Cullens residence, but far enough away that she couldn't see their house anymore. The rain was starting to fall a bit harder, so Alice took shelter under one of the trees, and waited to see what Danielle wanted.

"Where are you going?" Danielle asked, approaching Alice. Her eyes were a bright gold; she must have been out hunting when she saw Alice go by.

"I'm going to see Bella. I need to talk to her." Alice replied, wanting to hurry up and leave before Edward caught on to what she was doing.

Danielle pushed her wet hair out of her face, and smirked, "Why aren't you taking your car, silly?"

"I don't want Edward to know that I'm gone, I'd like to have some privacy with her, but it's impossible with Edward around." Alice answered her honestly. Her shirt was getting soaked, yet she still tried her best to shield herself from the rain.

Danielle on the other hand let the rain capture her completely. She didn't care that she was getting wet, she just stared at Alice with a curious expression, "Do you…love her?" Danielle's voice immediately lowered as she asked this.

Alice finally gave up on protecting herself from the rain, allowing the cold, heavy drops to fall on her face peacefully and responded, "I can't say its love, but there is something there between us. I don't want it to be ruined before I even had the chance to explore my feelings for her."

Danielle nodded her head slowly, and lowered her gaze down to the ground, "I'll distract Edward for you; don't worry about him bothering you tonight. I'll find a way to keep him here."

Alice was aware that Danielle still had feelings for her to some extent, their relationship ended on Alice's part, and Danielle's feelings for Alice were still there. Of course she loved Jasper, but there would always be a place in her heart for Alice. They never spoke of their relationship anymore, but Alice could clearly see that Danielle was having a hard time coming to the realization that Bella was the one Alice had always been waiting for.

"Thanks Danielle." Alice said, as she came out from beneath the tree, and began her journey once again to Bella's house. She wasn't sure what else to say to Danielle, she felt bad for hurting her when they broke up, but she had hoped Jasper would treat her better than Alice had.

Danielle watched as Alice left, wanting nothing more for her to be happy. She was glad she found Bella; it was a sort of bittersweet feeling. On one hand Alice was finally happy, but knowing she had nothing to do with Alice's happiness made her upset. She didn't want to see Alice's chance at happiness ruined by Edward, so she was going to do the right thing and keep Edward at a distance as much as she could.

Alice approached Bella's house only a couple of minutes later. She had stopped by the edge of the forest, and looked in her driveway to see that there was a delivery truck there. When she read that it was a mattress company on the side of the truck, she smiled wickedly and made her way towards the front door.

Bella was speaking to one of the delivery guys, and it looked like they had already come and were about to leave. Bella saw Alice approaching from the corner of her eye, and smiled immediately when she saw that she was alone. The delivery guy shook Bella's hand, and was turning around to leave when he caught sight of Alice, who was dripping wet, causing her clothes to become stuck to her body.

The delivery guy began stuttering, and Bella said, "This is my cousin, Alice. Looks like you got a bit wet, why don't you come inside and we'll get you changed into some warm clothes?"

He continued to stare in the pouring rain as Alice approached Bella, and gave her a light hug. "Maybe a nice bath would be better; I'm all wet and dirty." Alice teased.

Bella laughed, and turned to the delivery guy and said, "Thanks for all your help, have a nice evening!" She slammed the door, and locked it behind her. She turned to Alice who was drenched once again, and smiled. "It seems I only get to see you when you're soaked…you know we were both soaking wet when we shared our first kiss?"

Alice stood, dripping wet in the middle of Bella's kitchen, and all she could do was smile, making sure to show all her bright, white teeth. "Will you tell me about it?"

"Let me get you some dry clothes first. You'll have to suffer with the selection I have for now." Bella said, and went into another room to gather a t-shirt and jeans.

Alice heard the roar of the engine of the delivery truck, and watched as the truck pulled away. Bella came out seconds later with some dry clothes, and handed them to Alice. "You can change in the bedroom if you'd like."

She nodded her head, and went into the bedroom, taking note of the new mattress and smiling to herself. She quickly changed out of her wet clothes, wishing that Bella would come in and stop her. She wanted to try out the new bed and see what it was like. Unfortunately, Bella never busted through the door in a raging passion, so Alice went back out into the living room and found Bella sitting on the new sofas quietly. Alice took a seat next to Bella, and made herself comfortable. There was no sign of Edward yet, so Danielle must have figured something out.

"I'll tell you about how we shared our first kiss; I'm just not sure where to start." Bella said once Alice was settled.

"Well where were we, and what were we doing before it happened? Did you like it? Was it a surprise, or did you see it coming?" Alice began asking all sorts of questions, wanting to know everything she could.

"We were near the creek by our house, it was one of our favorite spots to go to be alone together, but at that time we were still friends, in fact, we had only met a few months before that. We had an instant connection the day we met, and it seemed like we were inseparable from that moment on."

Alice moved her hand closer toward Bella, and placed it gently on her knee, rubbing it slightly while she encouraged Bella to go on. Bella stared at Alice's hand for a second, but continued on with her story, "We had gone to the creek that day just for something to do. There wasn't much to do where we were, so going to the creek was one of those highlights of the day. We started to fool around with each other, and I don't mean in a naughty way, I mean we just started teasing each other. I had started teasing you because you didn't know how to skip stones, which in turn made you upset, and you poked me. I used to be extremely ticklish, and when you poked me I showed a sign of weakness, and you took full advantage of that. "

"What did I do?" Alice asked, liking where the story was going so far.

Bella smiled as she looked at Alice in a different perspective, as if she were looking past Alice, and into the girl she used to be, "You started tickling me, and I jumped up and tried to get away from you. I started running into the creek, and you basically tackled me in the water." Bella paused to laugh at the memory.

"Tackled you? Really?" Alice asked, chuckling at the thought of the scene.

Bella nodded her head, "Yeah, so we both went flying into the water, and were completely soaked when we came back up. We started laughing, and then I realized that I was sitting on your lap, which made me both nervous and excited at the same time. Then you suggested I take my clothes off."

"What? Why would I do that?" Alice laughed, thinking that Bella had made that part up.

"I was upset my parents would be mad that I was wet, so you said they would dry faster if I just took them off. I was tempted to do so, just to see what reaction you would have, if any, but I was too shy to actually do anything. So I got off of you, and when I turned around I caught you looking at me, but then I noticed myself looking at you too. You were wearing a white sundress, and I could see almost everything. It was rather difficult to look away, and I don't think that I did. You saw that I was staring, and you got up to cover yourself, but I stopped you. I said you didn't have to hide anything from me, and the next thing I know is we're kissing. That was the first time I had ever been kissed, you're the only one I've ever even loved." Bella moved closer to Alice and attempted to lean in for another kiss.

Alice wanted to kiss Bella, but she felt she had to say something before anything else progressed between the two of them. She didn't want things to become deeper between them before she told the truth; keeping it a secret would only make it worse. Alice cut off Bella's attempt at a kiss by saying, "There's something I need to tell you. I won't feel right kissing you until you know the truth."

Bella pulled back, confused at what Alice had said, and hoped that it wasn't anything bad. "The truth about what?" She asked.

Alice looked away from Bella for a moment, trying to see in her visions how Bella was going to react before she told her about her past. Alice wasn't always a good girl like Bella had been imagined she was, it seems the image of Alice that Bella had in her mind was the untainted one. Time had given Alice several different experiences, and she felt she had to tell Bella the truth before they progressed any further in their relationship, and to also keep Edward from trying to sabotage anything between them.

"The truth about my past. You're not the only one I've had a relationship with." Alice started to explain.

Bella's immediate change of her facial expression made Alice think this wasn't going to be as easy as she thought it would be. She had to tell Bella the truth though, even if it did mean it would end up hurting her. The harsh truth was better than a lie; she had to be completely honest with her.

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><p><strong>AN: You might not like where I've ended the chapter, but it would be way too long of a chapter to keep it going! Thanks for all who are reading and/or reviewing. Next chapter preview: Alice's past, post Isabella.**


	11. Chapter 11

"How many relationships have you had?" Bella asked, taken off guard by Alice's confession. She had suspected Alice had other lovers; it was only natural to be with other people when she never knew Bella even existed. Never the less, it was still hard for Bella to accept. She stared at Alice's ghostly form, observing the contrast of the color of the sofa compared to her complexion as she waited for a response. Too nervous to look at her eyes, she sought out anything to distract her line of vision.

"Relationships or lovers?" Alice laughed nervously, but stopped when she saw that Bella wasn't laughing back. She could tell Bella was wary of what she was going to say, but at least she wasn't exploding in an outrage. Bella could be rather realistic when it came down to it. Alice looked at Bella's body position to see if she was more open or standoffish.

Bella sighed unnecessarily, knowing deep down inside that this was inevitable. She didn't want to hear about Alice's other lovers, because it did hurt her. Alice wasn't to blame for that though, and Bella knew she had to keep that in mind, no matter how many other lovers she had. Bella was jealous of everyone who was able to have relations with Alice; all the while Bella lived her life alone, never knowing she was still out there. "I know you've had to have some kind of love life without me. I mean, why would you stay single for no apparent reason?"

Alice half expected Bella to blow up in her face or to at least be upset with her, but neither of those things happened. The fact that she was telling Bella about her love life made her nervous, even for someone as put together as herself. It's always hard telling someone you love about all the people you've slept with in the past. Alice felt as if she were confessing that she had been cheating, and Bella was only now finding out how many people she cheated on with. Bella didn't see it that way though, there was some pressure lifted off of Alice's shoulders knowing that she could be completely honest with her.

"I'm not sure how many lovers I've had over the years, but I've only had one relationship, and even that didn't last very long." Alice replied, hoping that Bella wouldn't be upset at who she was in a relationship with. That was another thing she was worried about, because Danielle was still such a big part of her life. She moved a bit closer to Bella, even though she was telling her something uncomfortable; she was still drawn into Bella. She felt it was okay to be as close to her as pleased. Nothing about Bella seemed to say back off.

Bella nodded her head, surprised that Alice couldn't remember how many lovers she had. It must've been a lot, but it's been almost a century since she last saw the girl. Then she began to wonder who these people were, or what they were more specifically. Was Alice strictly into women, or did she play both sides? When Alice was known as Mary Alice, Bella was the only love interest she ever had. No matter how many lovers Alice had post Isabella, she would always be her first. "Were they men or women? Or both?"

"Well…both. When I woke up in the forest, I had no idea what happened to me, and I quickly had to adapt to the changes so I wouldn't be noticed. I left Mississippi as fast as I could, just in case someone happened to know me, and noticed anything different about me. I was scared someone would think I was a monster, and the scent of a human's blood would drive me insane. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but it was rather hard to stop myself from feeding. I struggled greatly, and I didn't always overcome my temptations for human blood. The first person I ever fed off of was a man in Georgia. It seems unrelated to the question you asked me, but I used my sexuality in order to feed off men."

Alice paused as she looked at Bella, to see if she should continue or not. Seeing no sign of disgust, Alice continued. "He was hunting, and then he saw me. He was surprised at first, but it was like he was drawn into me, coming closer even though he was scared to death. I saw what he wanted to do to me in a vision. I could tell he liked the way I looked from the second he saw me, but I didn't give him time to think much longer. I attacked, and the next thing I knew was that I was sucking him dry. That's when I realized I could get a man's attention based on looks, and I used that to feed off of several other men in my early stages."

"It's in our mindset to feed off of humans. You were only doing what you were supposed to do. We look this way to lure them in." Bella said quietly, not really sure how to feel about what Alice just said. She could tell Alice had struggled with the fact that she has fed off of humans before, but she shouldn't be so upset with what was only natural to their kind. She used her looks to kill, that's how every newborn is though. The desire for blood is too high for rational thought; they'll do anything to get what they want. Bella placed her hand on Alice's knee in a way of comforting her.

"I didn't want to feed off anyone, but I didn't know what else I could do. I couldn't control myself, and I hate to admit it, but I've used my sexuality to get them closer to me. It worked every time…but I wish it hadn't." Alice looked at Bella with sadness in her eyes. She wondered if Bella ever fed off humans, or if she had always fed off animals instead. Alice hadn't met a vampire yet that hasn't fed off a human at some point in their lives. She took note of Bella's hand, and smiled weakly in response. The simple touch of Bella's flesh against her own made her feel at peace. She could feel the spot where Bella's hand currently was tingling.

"Did you ever have sex with any of them?" Bella asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

"Very few. There were some who I didn't want to kill, and I only wanted to have a good time with them. I had an obsession with brown haired, browned eyed women, especially in the late 50's and early 60's. I kept having visions of what I am presuming to be you, and it wouldn't leave my mind until I found someone who resembled you. It always came back though, and I'd just go out looking for someone else eventually. It wasn't my intention to kill them at first, but when things progressed, I became more excited…I was just too strong for them. I hated the fact that I could kill a human so easily, and I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't touch another human, to feed or to be intimate with. That's when I had a vision of Jasper." Alice dreaded telling Bella this part, because these people were still in her life. She didn't want any more complications between Bella and her family.

Bella had to admit that she was surprised Alice went out and slept with girls that looked like her. It made Bella feel like she had always been there with Alice, even when she didn't know who she was. Bella left a piece of herself with Alice, and that was enough to keep the thought of her alive. Alice's brain had been telling her she was missing something for so long, she just didn't know what or who it was.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself Alice. It's natural to want a human, and sometimes it's almost impossible to control yourself around them. That's why I isolated myself for so long, I became afraid of humans. I didn't want to get too close for fear that I might attack them. It's hard on everyone; sometimes you just can't control it." Bella tried to make her feel better by telling her about her own experience. Instead of embracing her natural killer instinct, Bella hid herself away from everything. She had rarely killed a person; her record wasn't clean either when it came to feeding.

"Have you ever killed a human?" Alice asked in almost a whisper. It was a very personal question to ask, but she didn't think Bella would mind telling her. They were both being open about their past, might as well get all of the tough questions out of the way first.

"Yes, I have. The first thing I did when I was changed was kill. I'm not proud of it at all, but I can't change the past. How did you meet Jasper? Were the two of you in a relationship?" Bella asked, obviously not wanting to talk about the subject of killing any further.

"No, we weren't in a relationship, but he wanted to be. I met him at a diner in Philadelphia; I knew there was something special about him. He was a key to my future. We stayed with each other for two years before we met the Cullens. Although I wasn't in a relationship with him, I was intimate with him while we were by ourselves. I know it wasn't going to develop any further than that, so I had to be honest with him. I broke it off, and not too long after that Danielle came along." Alice felt like a tramp talking about all the people she has slept with in her lifetime. Though when you live forever, there's going to be a lot of baggage.

"Danielle?" Bella simply asked. She looked down at her hand on Alice's leg; almost afraid to move it any further for fear that Alice would tell her to take it off. She twitched her thumb against Alice's leg, and felt the muscle beneath her cool flesh.

Alice nodded her head, "She looked exactly like you; at least I thought she did. She had brown hair, but not the eyes. Her eyes were red, because she also fed off of humans when we met her. My family took her in and we showed her that feeding off of animals was possible. She was practically starving herself because she didn't want to kill anybody. I eventually fell in love with her, and she loved me back. She was the only one I've had a genuine relationship with."

Bella felt a bit jealous when she realized that Danielle was the one she had been in a relationship with. She still lived with them, how did she know Danielle still didn't have feelings for her? All that time living together and nothing happened after they broke up? That doesn't seem likely.

"But Danielle is with Jasper. How come you two aren't still together?" Bella asked.

"Because she wasn't you…the images of you returned, I thought she was the one I was seeking, but it turns out she wasn't. There was something missing, and the longer I stayed with her, the more severe my visions of you became. I knew I couldn't stay with her any longer, so I had to break it off with her." Alice admitted.

"How long were you with her before you broke up?"

"Five years."

Bella's eyes widened, that's a long time to be with someone, at least to Bella it was. Jealousy was threatening to escape, knowing that other people have been with her longer than Bella had seemed to only make it worse. Danielle had the pleasure of being with Alice longer than Bella had, and she thought that was very unfair. She loved Alice the best she could when they were human, but she only had her less than a year before she disappeared. She didn't even get a year, and Danielle had five of them with Alice. "That's a long time." Bella said as calm as she could. She didn't want Alice to see her upset over her past; the past she wasn't part of.

"Not that long for a vampire. After Danielle…" Alice was going to continue before Bella cut her off, not really in the mood to hear about anyone else who was interested in her.

"Please don't tell me you were with Edward next. For the love of God don't tell me that." Bella blurted out, letting some of her emotions come to the surface.

Alice stared at Bella, half wanting to laugh, and the other half wanting to throw up. "Oh, I would never be with Edward like that. I promise there wasn't anyone else after Danielle. I was alone the rest of the time, which has been around fifty years. I didn't want anyone else after Danielle, the visions were a daily event, and I knew I wouldn't be satisfied with anyone until I found the person in my visions."

"Thank God you didn't sleep with Edward. I swear I would've had a heart attack…if it were still beating." Bella looked relieved as she rested her head against the back of the sofa they were sitting on. Her eyes were closed as she tried to take in everything Alice just told her. The past is the past, and should not be taken into account for the future. Bella felt Alice's hand press gently against her shoulder, squeezing lightly as she showed a sign of affection.

"Speaking of Edward, I had a chat with him earlier. I do believe he has a thing for you, and it doesn't seem like he is going to stop getting in the way anytime soon." Alice said, moving her body a tad closer toward Bella.

Bella raised her eyebrows, and gave Alice a look of annoyance. "I'm not surprised. I don't want to upset you because I know he's your brother, but I'm really starting to become annoyed by how much he interrupts us, and I don't think I can act civil around him much longer. I liked it better when you only had a little sister. Speaking of which, why isn't Edward banging on the door right now?"

"If Edward keeps at it, you have my permission to put him in his place. Please don't hold back because you'll think it'll upset me, he needs to be taught not to mess with us when we're alone. Danielle said she was going to keep Edward at the house, I don't know how she is doing it, but it's working so far."

"Don't forget that you gave me permission. About Danielle…do you think there is anything there still? I mean, does she still love you, or has she moved on with Jasper completely?" Bella asked. It was only natural to wonder if Danielle still had feelings for her since Alice broke it off.

"I think something still lingers there, though I know nothing will come of it, at least not on my part. We loved each other at a different time in our lives, but it's different now. I vowed never to have another lover or relationship until the woman in my visions came to life, and here you are now, right in front of me. Forgive me if it seems we're moving too fast, but I've waited a long time for you to get here. I haven't been touched or kissed in ages." Alice explained, getting a bit carried away at the last part of her statement. She bit her lip in anticipation of what Bella was going to say next. The sexual tension between the two was too immense for either girl to handle properly. Each one always looked for ways to touch, to hold, to kiss one another. All they needed was an opportunity to be completely alone, which had presented itself right then and there.

"You think you've waited a long time, double it, and you'll be in my shoes. I never wanted another person; I always remembered you. I can understand that you didn't know about me, but perhaps if you did, we could've found our way to each other sooner." Bella's voice seemed to fade away at the end. She was tired of being sad about her past and about what happened between the two of them, though it was hard to forget when her entire life as an immortal had been based upon her loneliness. Things were different now, her Mary Alice was here, it was a miracle, and Bella wasn't going to be sad anymore. There was hope yet, Bella should be on cloud nine from the fact that Alice is sitting right next to her.

To think that her life would no longer contain joy, or love, and then to simply stumble upon Alice like it was the easiest thing in the world was mindboggling to Bella. There was no need for hurt or anger anymore, she was here and she wanted Bella in return. Although they were worlds apart, there was still a connection between the two of them. The world was very complex and simple at the same time. To search for something an entire existence, and have it handed to you right when you stopped looking, that's irony for you.

Bella sat up from the sofa, she noticed that Alice's eyes were rather dark, and figured she could use a drink. She moved toward her fridge, and opened it. She pulled out the only thing in there, and Alice asked her, "So you store blood in your house? Smart thinking."

Bella smiled as she poured a glass for Alice, "I try to hunt as least as possible. I don't want to cause too much attention around me."

Alice watched as Bella returned to the sofa with the glass in hand, and handed it to Alice who took it eagerly. She took a sip at first, but ended up chugging the rest of it in a hungry state. Alice wiped a small drop of blood from the corner of her lips, and then smiled politely toward Bella. "Where did you go hunting for the doe? I need to tell you about our boundaries with the Quileute tribe…we're not allowed to go on their side, it's part of a treaty we signed the last time we lived here."

"You've lived here before? I wasn't aware of the treaty, but I was friends with some of the Quileute people when I lived here as a human, before we relocated to Biloxi. I didn't get the doe very far from here; in fact, I believe she was in my very own backyard when I spotted her."

"You were friends with them? Did you know about their abilities?" Alice asked, curious to know if Bella was aware of their shape shifting powers. Some of the people she might have known could still be alive, since these shape shifters rarely age.

Bella looked at Alice, slightly confused, "What are you talking about? I was really good friends with some of them, yes. One in particular who was very fond of me, his father knew mine, and that's how we met. I didn't hear from him after we moved away though, he was rather upset about that. Anyway, what do you mean by abilities?"

Alice turned her head slightly; they could very well still be alive. She hasn't met any of the Quileute's, but she knew Carlisle sometimes communicated with them. Alice knew of their powers, and was aware that as long as they kept shape shifting, that they wouldn't age. "There are some Quileute's who can shape shift. When my family first arrived here, they felt threatened by my family, and actually attempted to kill them. They didn't want us to kill anyone on their land, or anywhere for that matter. It wasn't until our coven signed a treaty with their tribe before things became peaceful again. I wasn't with the Cullens when the treaty was signed, but I know all about it. There is a boundary we can't cross, or they'll be there in an instant to destroy us. We also aren't allowed to spill human blood, but I don't think we have to worry about that happening with any of us."

"Shape shifters, really? I would have never guessed. Jacob never told me anything about shape shifting, at least not that I can remember. I knew him before I even met you; it's really difficult for me to remember that far back though, and I really doubt he would've been a shape shifter. So where is this boundary?" Bella asked, looking as if she were reminiscing on the past. She did that a lot.

"Jacob was your friend's name? Did you know some shape shifters choose not to age? If he was a shape shifter, he could still be alive today. It may seem like a stretch, but look at us. We're living way past our time. We may not be the only immortal creatures around here after all." Alice commented, trying to think back if she ever heard Carlisle speak of anyone named Jacob before, but she couldn't recall.

"I don't think he would still be alive…that would be impossible, wouldn't it? Though, who would've thought I'd ever find you. It seems that nothing is truly impossible." Bella replied, finding the thought of Jacob actually being alive as far-fetched, yet still plausible.

"I can ask Carlisle about it. He will sometimes speak to them, but I've never seen them myself. I tend to stay away for my own good." Alice replied.

"Can't we go to the boundary and find out ourselves, or do we have to wait for Carlisle to answer everything for us? Show me where the boundary is." Bella stated, tired of relying on everyone else for an answer.

"If we even get close to the boundary, we'll be dog meat. They shape shift into wolves, big wolves. At least let me call Carlisle and tell him what we're doing first." Alice pulled out her cell phone, and took her phone off silent.

She noticed she had around ten text messages from Edward but chose to ignore them all. She dialed Carlisle's number quickly on her keypad, and held it up to her ear as it began to ring. Bella sat next to Alice with her arms folded, not believing for one second that Jacob was still alive. Still…there could be a slight chance.

"Hello Carlisle?" Alice's voice sounded ever so lovely.

"Good afternoon Alice" Carlisle's voice could be heard on the other side of the phone.

"I was just telling Bella about the Quileute tribe and our treaty with them, and she told me that she used to be friends with some of them before she moved to Mississippi."

"Oh, is that so? Did she know of their powers?" Carlisle asked, the tone in his voice changed, showing signs of interest.

"No, she didn't. So when I told her, she didn't really believe me. She wants to go to the boundary and see if her friend is still alive. His name is Jacob; do you know anyone by the name of Jacob that's part of the tribe?" Alice asked casually.

Bella doubted he would be alive, but almost jumped out of her seat when she heard Carlisle say, "There's a Jacob Black. He's their leader, and has been for some time."

Her eyes widened as she looked over toward Alice, who was only smiling at Bella's reaction. Maybe Jacob had a son or grandson that was named after him.

"How long has he been the leader? Since you made the treaty with them?" Alice asked.

"Yes…I'd say so. He's a good guy when you're finally able to calm him down. Would you like me to get in contact with him and ask him about Bella? I wouldn't want you risking your lives, or void the treaty by trying to cross the boundary line." Carlisle offered.

"That would be great if you could. I think Bella would really appreciate it if it did turn out to be her old friend."

"Alright, I'll do that once I'm off the phone with you. I also wanted to tell you that I found out a bit more about your time in the asylum, and who this doctor was that you escaped with. When you're available, come to my office so we can discuss this in person, and be sure to bring Bella with you when you come." Carlisle said casually.

Alice turned to Bella when she heard him say this, "Sure thing Carlisle. We'll be over soon."

Alice got off the phone with Carlisle, and told her about the news. "Your friend might still be alive, Carlisle said he was going to call and ask if this Jacob is the one you used to know. Also, he found out more information about my past. He wants us both to go to his office when we can so he can tell us more about it."

Alice really didn't want to leave Bella's house, this was the first time that had been alone in days. They needed time just for themselves, with no interruptions. Bella was like an addiction, but she only wanted her to herself. She was something special, a once in a lifetime person, and all Alice wanted to do was be alone with her, but it seemed everyone was only trying to pull them apart.

"When do you want to go?" Bella asked, not really wanting to leave either. She had just gotten this comfortable bed; she and Alice were alone…there was an opportunity. It had been such a long time since Bella had even been touched; she wanted nothing more than to take Alice to bed. The temptation was too intense; she was surprised at how well she was able to hold out so far.

"We can go now if you want…or…"

"Or what?" Bella said quickly, finding herself getting closer to Alice, slowly closing the distance between them.

"We can stay here a little longer, and just…chat." Alice said.

"Chat? I was hoping we could do something a little more exciting." Bella bit the bottom of her lip as she looked down at Alice, their faces only inches apart.

"What did you have in mind? Do you want to break in the furniture? I noticed your bed hasn't been broken in properly, we should do something about that." Alice pushed the limits to see what Bella would say.

Bella placed her forehead against Alice's shoulder, leaning her face against her neck and inhaling deeply. The familiar scent of Mary Alice crossed her senses and Bella sighed in both relief and frustration. "You don't know how happy I am to have you here in front of me, but not to be able to touch you like I used to is driving me insane."

Alice breathed in Bella's own scent, taking in the somewhat nostalgic smell with a smile on her face. "Who said I was stopping you from touching me?"

Alice felt Bella tense up and move back to look Alice in the eyes. She stared at Alice's wide eyes for a few seconds, both girls driven to the breaking point of desire. Both wanted to touch desperately, and now was their chance. The girls were breathing in deep, not because they needed air, but because they couldn't get enough of each other's scent.

For a moment all the girls could hear was sound of the rain hitting the top of the roof as they stared quietly at each other. Bella saw Alice move her lips in a quiver, and that's all it took for her to close the distance between their lips. Bella pushed against Alice with all her might, and ended up knocking Alice against the wall with a loud thud. Alice moved away from the wall with Bella still in her grip, and revealed a dent where they had just been.

It was Alice's intention to get Bella into bed as fast as she could, and Bella was not putting up a fight. In fact, she was pulling Alice as she was pushing. They knocked into the bedroom door, and pushed it open all while maintaining their kiss. Alice slammed the door behind her, making the entire house shake. She looked to the windows, which were wide open. Alice stopped kissing Bella long enough to say, "You close that window, and I'll get this one."

Bella nodded her head, and ran to one of the windows, shut it tight, locked it, and pulled the blinds down. Once she turned around, she was met with Alice lifting her off the ground, and tossing her on the bed. She had already managed to close the other window.

Alice stood at the foot of the bed, staring at Bella who was lying against it, supporting her weight with her elbows as she stared eagerly at the woman in front of her.

"We're not going anywhere until we're both completely satisfied." Alice said with conviction, her voice dripping with lust.

_To be continued…_

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><p><strong>AN: It's cut off here to allow people who don't want to read the naughty stuff that takes place in the next chapter. (though why wouldn't you want to read it?) You'll be able to skip the next chapter, and still know what took place. Next chapter will consist of nothing but fun :) Thanks for reading.**_  
><em>


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Although I would have liked to go into more detail on this particular scene, since there is rumor that anything overly explicit may get deleted, I didn't want to risk having this story tossed. I tried the best I could to make it suggestive, but not go into that many details. It was difficult, and I wanted to write so much more. My apologies for anyone not truly satisfied with this chapter.**

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><p>She placed her knee on the edge of the bed, feeling the silk material beneath her. It had been a long time since Alice had even seen a bed, and this one turned out to be awfully soft. Her knee sank in slowly against the mattress, as she placed her hands down against the fabric. She wanted to savor each and every second of what was about to happen. She wasn't going to forget, this time.<p>

Alice tilted her head, and met Bella's gaze cautiously, wanting to know for sure that this is what she wanted. Her hands clenched against the silk sheets of the bed, trying to hold back her desire to just go at it. The silence in the room was masked by the rain drops pounding heavily against the roof. She parted her mouth slightly to say something, but she couldn't find any words. Bella lowered her gaze to Alice's parted lips, noticing the contrast between her red lips and pearly white teeth. Her eyes moved up over the rest of Alice's stunning features, taking in every centimeter of beauty. Her gaze eventually found another pair of golden eyes, looking right back at her. For a second, Bella was stunned at the site before her. Never again did she think she would be in this position, the heavens have blessed her with the return of her angel, Alice.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Alice said in a lower tone than usual. Her voice was calm, but inside she was so very nervous. Nervous about what Bella would say, about how good it would be considering neither one had much practice lately, nervous about what other visions may arise from this…nervous about falling head over heels in love with this woman.

Bella took a deep breath, inhaling Alice's scent once more. The relief of tension through heavy breathing didn't really help her much these days; she only did it to smell. Alice watched as Bella's tongue came out slowly from her mouth, and licked her lips to help better her speech. Alice found herself thinking where she wanted that tongue to be right that instant, the tension rapidly building up inside of her like a ticking time bomb. She didn't know how much longer she would last…minutes, seconds…she was about to pounce before Bella even had a chance to respond to her question.

"I've never been more certain of anything in my life." Bella said quietly, reaching her arm out in front of her in order to touch Alice. She placed her hand against Alice's forearm, and pulled on her gently. Alice wasn't budging at first; she could tell that this was going to be a match over dominance. Who would be the winner? Would it even matter if there was a winner if they were both in a state of ecstasy?

Bella pulled harder against Alice, finally able to get Alice's hand to lose her grip, and be pulled against Bella's porcelain body. Alice fell on Bella with a soft thud, landing right where their lips would meet. Both girls laughed lightly, and Alice tilted her head up in order to get a better look at Bella. She gazed into Bella's eyes intensely, easily seeing the built up emotion inside of her. The eyes were a window to the soul, and Bella's were speaking directly to Alice. Her eyes told Alice that she had been lonely, so very lonely for the past century, but her loneliness could be forgotten, and placed in the past as a distant memory if Alice stayed with her.

Alice felt a hand come down on the back of her neck, and slowly pushed her closer toward Bella. This time she did not resist as their lips connected. Her hand moved from the back of Alice's neck, up toward her hair, and massaged her scalp lightly as they continued to kiss. The soft feeling of Alice's hair being tugged and petted began to put her in a trance. She didn't know if anyone had ever put their hands in her hair, but it felt oddly familiar when Bella did it.

Their kiss deepened as Alice felt a tingling sensation go across her entire body. She felt at ease with her surroundings, she was comfortable with Bella. The way things were developing just felt right, like this was how it was supposed to be all along. Alice gripped the silky fabric beneath the two girls as she closed her eyes, and took in this new sensation of comfort. All those times with different people, and not once did she ever truly feel comfortable with them. At least, not comfort on this level. Her body began to melt at the simplest of touches, and they hadn't even gotten to the best part.

Alice moved her hand across Bella's chest, and hesitated at first. She knew Bella wanted this to happen, but she was still a bit nervous. They had both waited so long for something like this to happen; Alice wondered if it would be awkward. Even if it did make things more difficult, they had all the time in the world to practice. Her hand hovered over Bella a few seconds longer, before she eventually gave in to her desire and placed it on Bella, gripping slightly.

She watched eagerly as Bella's eyes widened at the contact, and let out a small gasp. This caused Alice to smile into their kiss, and increased her confidence in what she was doing. Everything was progressing fairly well; there weren't any interruptions yet, allowing the girls to become more comfortable in their environment.

A few seconds of light touching went by before Alice began to crave more, she wanted to go as far as it could get. Her free hand found itself roaming Bella's waistline, and eventually found the gap between her shirt and pants. Slipping her hand discretely up Bella's blouse, Alice roamed the bottom portion of her stomach, taking in as much feeling as she could.

A very ticklish Bella began to squirm under Alice's finger tips, loving the sensation it gave her. She let out a small laugh and Alice quietly replied, "It seems you're still ticklish."

Bella just smiled and helped Alice out by pulling up the fabric of her blouse, and removing it quickly from her body. She tossed it to the floor as if it was on fire and she needed to get it away as quick as possible. When she turned to look back at Alice, she saw that her jaw was slightly open as she stared hungrily at her chest. A brief moment of silence passed through the girls as they just stared at each other in anticipation. This was it, this was really happening for them. The time to pounce was now, and that is exactly what Alice did.

Alice pushed hard against Bella, knocking her body back down to the bed, and causing the bed to knock up against the wall in a fierce shudder. Alice was going to ravish her, finally. Pieces of dry wall from where Alice just knocked the bed into went crumbling to the floor. Bella stared at Alice, who was straddling her, and listened to the sound of the wall being destroyed.

"You know we're going to destroy this bedroom by the time we're done here." Bella said in realization.

Alice nodded her head, "Don't worry, I'll help you fix it. Maybe we should consider something more solid for the walls, like reinforced steel?" Alice joked.

Bella tried to contain her smile, but couldn't help herself. This was the first time she had been truly happy in a long time. It really was like Bella had died and gone to heaven, where her angel Mary Alice awaited. Bella reached out her hand, and grabbed Alice by the collar of her shirt, and pulled her in to her like she was on a leash. "Enough talking, there's something more important to do."

Alice eagerly complied, and began to reveal the rest of Bella's natural body. Piece by piece, she found this body to be strangely familiar to her. All the bends and folds, the smooth texture, the shape of certain parts of her body…yes, she once knew this body well…from another life, and once again, in this one. Bella was hers to discover completely all over again, they had a second chance. It was destiny, they were soul mates. Once lost lovers, found their way back to each other without even trying. If that wasn't destiny, then what was?

Alice stared at the vulnerable vampire before her, strange feelings rushing to her mind as she looked her up and down with lust in her eyes. Bella looked back, obviously nervous at what Alice was thinking, she wasn't saying anything. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of the rain, which was until Alice broke the silence by saying, "I'm in love with you Bella, and I think I always have been."

"And I have always loved you, Alice." Bella simply replied. That was all that needed to be said before the girls decided to physically show just how much they loved each other.

…

_Two days later_

…

The bed had been broken on the first day, within a matter of minutes into their love making. The floor boards had cracked and broken from the force of the bed crashing back down to the floor several times over. The blankets were ripped, and bits and pieces of silk, cotton, and feathers from the pillows were still flying delicately around the bedroom. There were several holes in the dry wall, holes that resembled those of human figures and hand prints. The bedroom door had been knocked off its hinges, and broken in several pieces. It now was against the floor in a large heap. The living room, including the new furniture had all been destroyed, leather and foam were scattered all throughout the house. A bookshelf had been destroyed, leaving what books were on it, in a pile on the floor below. The kitchen table was somehow still intact, but the chairs were all broken. The hall leading toward the bathroom was filled with residue from the dry wall being pounded against repeatedly. The shower could be heard running from a distance, along with small gasps and pants. The door was closed tight, and locked. It was the only room in the house that hadn't been utterly destroyed yet, but who knew how long it would take before the girls knocked a hole through the shower.

Neither girl was exhausted from each other; the only problem was that Alice had a vision of Carlisle coming to check up on the two of them, since none of the Cullen's had heard from Alice in the past two days. If Carlisle saw the mess that the two girls caused, Alice would surely be mortified. Anyone who saw the state of the house would think that a wrecking ball had come through the house. It was almost in worse shape than it was before Bella moved in.

The girls finally emerged from their shower, steam following them out of the bathroom, and down the hall for the two of them to get a good look at the damage they had done. Bella looked wide eyed at the state of her newly fixed house, it was a complete wreck. To say that she hadn't enjoyed destroying the house with Alice would've been a lie. It wasn't like they did it on purpose; they couldn't help what their bodies did to human furniture. "You're going to help me fix all of this, aren't you?" Bella smiled.

This was the first time in a long time where Bella felt a release. She had been holding in her emotions for so long, and was finally able to let them all out. Pent up emotion comes out rather strong though, she had the holes in the wall to prove it. Bella felt free and uncaring, she was just happy to be in Alice's loving embrace.

Alice looked around the house in half amusement, and half disbelief, "Of course. We're just going to destroy it every time though, we should consider getting those reinforced walls like I mentioned before." Her arm was placed around Bella's waist, feeling no hesitance to get closer to Bella anymore. She was able to touch her wherever she wanted, without any complaint from Bella.

Bella laughed, "I would usually take that as a joke, but I should really take it seriously. My old house will be demolished completely if we keep at it like we are." She stepped over the broken bedroom door, and was heading toward the closet to put on some fresh clothes.

Alice searched the bedroom floor to find the clothes she had discarded quite some time ago. She finally found them under a pile of wood that used to be the dresser, and slipped them on rather quickly. Alice realized that if she didn't show up to her house soon, that Carlisle would be here in a matter of minutes. She would call him, but her phone was destroyed along with everything else. "We had better hurry up Bella; I wouldn't want anyone to see what we've done to your house."

Bella came out of the closet, pulling a plain gray t-shirt over her head in the process. She had slipped on a basic pair of blue jeans, which didn't surprise Alice at all. Although she wanted to see Bella in something more fashionable, something about her simple look appealed to her. "Oh no, what's going to happen if Edward see's what we've done?" Bella smiled mischievously.

Alice had only seen the reserved and polite Bella, she could tell that she had opened up dramatically. Maybe all those years of keeping her emotions inside had made her like a zombie to her true emotions. Since she was finally able to let some of them out, perhaps the flood gates of Bella's true feelings had been let open. "I see you're looking a little more bright and cheery than before." Alice replied

Bella approached Alice with a smile, she certainly did feel like she had died and gone to heaven. She felt renewed, like it was okay to be herself again. She no longer had to hide anything, or keep her emotions within, "I feel incredible. I don't think I can keep my hands off of you…ever." Her hands began roaming the sides of Alice's waist, and pulled her in for a sensual kiss.

The short haired girl closed her eyes, and kissed back with just as much passion that was put into it. It would be easy just to continue where they had left off, but in the back of her mind she imagined Carlisle walking in on them, and quickly changed her mind, "Let's hurry and go see Carlisle, so we can hurry up and come back."

Bella looked around at her house, all the work she had put in it had been destroyed in the course of two days, but it was worth it. "You are going to help me pick up this mess when we come back, aren't you?" She asked Alice once more for reassurance.

"Something like that." Alice took Bella's hand in her own, and the two girls leaped over the heaps of wood, cotton, and other various items toward the front door. Alice looked at the front door and said, "At least we didn't break this door."

At the exact moment she said that, the door made a quiet squeak, and broke from its hinges. The door landed right before the feet of the girls in a loud thud. They stared at it for a few seconds, not really saying anything, just looking.

"Never mind" Alice said cheerfully, and propped the door up the best she could before the two girls left Bella's house, and headed toward the Cullen's.

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><p><strong>Next chapter preview: Alice's creator revealed, with a twist.<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Italics represent the past.**

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><p>Alice and Bella approached the Cullen house cautiously, unsure of what to expect when they got inside. Of course there would be speculation as to where they had been and what exactly had they been up to. It wouldn't take much thought to figure out what had happened; they couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces. The sun had come out for the first time in weeks, making both of the girls shimmer through the patches of shade and sun.<p>

Alice opened the front door, and poked her head inside. Bella was right behind her, standing there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. She didn't really care what the rest of Alice's family thought; in fact, she wanted them to know what happened. Bella wanted to make it clear to everyone in that house that Alice was taken, and to back off. Danielle and Edward both seemed like threats to the state of their relationship. ..were they even in a relationship? It wasn't official, but Bella felt that they were exclusive. Bella had always been exclusive to Alice, even when she was presumed dead.

Alice turned her head back to face Bella, and motioned for her to come in. Both of the girls stepped inside and closed the door behind them. The sound of the door closing caused a shuffle from inside the house. No one could be seen, but they both knew they were coming. Bella thought it was Edward coming, and Alice thought it was Danielle. However, it turned out to be Carlisle and Esme coming to greet the girls.

"Where have the two of you been? We were starting to worry." Esme said.

"I just wanted to spend some time with Bella, I'm sorry I haven't called, but you know how it is." Alice tried to explain what she had been up to without going into too many details. It seemed to get the point across because neither Carlisle nor Esme asked further questions on the subject.

"Well while the two of you were away, we've been looking into the doctor who set you free from the asylum. There's much news to tell you, so if you'll follow me up to my office, we'll discuss it further." Carlisle said with a slight smile on his face. It was as if he was waiting to tell the girls a big secret, he could hardly hold it in much longer.

"That sounds fantastic." Alice smiled, she was eager to hear about what Carlisle had discovered about her past. Maybe she would finally get some answers about who turned her and why.

"Everyone else is out hunting. They didn't want to waste this sunny day sitting in the house." Esme commented as she followed Carlisle and the girls up the stairs.

"I hope they don't go near my house." Bella mumbled under her breath.

Alice shot her a glance, and Bella just smiled. She couldn't help the fact that she was happy for once in her entire existence as a vampire.

Esme looked to Carlisle, who smiled and shook his head, "I think you'll be interested in hearing that I had to go as far as contacting the Volturi about finding out what happened to your creator, Alice."

"My creator? You mean you know who it was?" Alice asked as they approached the door to Carlisle's office.

"I'm almost certain I know who it was. When you were in the asylum, someone became very fond of you. It turns out Doctor Hunter was a vampire. I have records from the Volturi to prove so." Carlisle moved over to his desk, and took a seat. He pulled out his notebook, and began reading what he had written down.

"Who are the Volturi and why have I never heard of them?" Bella asked as she took a seat from across Carlisle.

"Just think of them as the Godfathers of vampires. They control our way of living, and you probably haven't heard of them because you were never around any vampire long enough to hear about them. Some of us are ancient, and the Volturi coven is one of the oldest covens around. Carlisle lived with the Volturi for a while; that's how I originally learned about them." Alice explained.

"When I spoke to Aro, he told me that he remembered speaking to a vampire named Dante Hunter, who was a rather ancient and old vampire. He told me the last he heard of him was when he told Aro he was going to the United States to live out the rest of his existence in peace and solitude. He was originally from England, but wanted to leave when the locals began wondering about him." Carlisle was looking down at his notebook while he was speaking, making sure he got every detail right.

"How do you know Dante was the one that changed me, or even if he was in Biloxi? It could've been anyone." Alice asked.

"That's where it gets interesting. I researched the name Dante Hunter down in Biloxi, and have found a few articles about him, including the one where it says he ran away with one of his patients, whose name they didn't disclose." Carlisle said.

"I know I heard that name before. I just can't recall where." Bella spoke up, honestly dumbfounded about the name.

"I found this article not too long after the one saying he escaped." Carlisle handed Alice a printed copy of an old newspaper article, and she began to read it.

_REMAINS FOUND IN BILOXI WILDERNESS_

_What appear to be human remains were found in the rural part of Biloxi this afternoon. Burnt fragments of clothes, and ashes of what appears to have once been flesh was discovered by hunters early Sunday morning. Authorities have assumed these remains to be that of Dante Hunter, who disappeared over six months ago with one of his patients from the local asylum. _

_Speculations have said that the patient, who remains unnamed, murdered Dr. Hunter soon after they had escaped. One of the orderlies claims to have seen the victim become infatuated with the escaped mental patient, and was most likely overcome with lust for her. Records cannot be disclosed on this patient, but the orderlies have said the two were secret lovers. They claim to have seen Dr. Hunter go into this patient's room on several occasions without any other supervision._

_So was this patient only using Dr. Hunter until she escaped from the asylum, and then brutally murdered him, or was there a double murder, and the patient's body has yet to be discovered? There appears to have been a struggle at the scene of the crime, however there was no evidence of blood. More information will be reported when and if authorities get a lead on this puzzling case. Is there an insane murderer on the loose? Or is there something more than meets the eye?_

At the bottom of the article was a photo of Dante in a sepia tone. His eyes appeared to be golden, but Alice couldn't be certain under the color of the photo. "Did you see his eyes, Carlisle?" Alice asked, handing over the article to Bella so she would be able to read it too.

"I did, but it's hard to tell if they are red eyes, or golden like ours. Aro told me when he met Dante that his eyes weren't red, but they a mixture of maroon and gold, a weird shade of brown, like he was in transition." Carlisle set his pen down on his notebook, and stared at Alice.

"Who killed Dante? It couldn't have been me, how would I even know the proper way to kill a vampire? If I had been turned by him with no one else around, and if we were supposedly close to one another, why would I kill him? When I woke up, my first memories were being alone in the forest. I was in a fetal position, really close to the trunk of a tree. I don't remember seeing anything on fire, or setting anything on fire. The face however, is familiar to me."

Bella read the article, and was now staring at the picture of Dante, not able to recognize who he was, but she had heard his name. That's when something clicked, she finally remember where she had heard that name from. It was when Bella came face to face with her own creator. She had made it her intention to forget about the moment she was turned, she tried as hard as she could to push that memory out of her head, and was successful about forgetting all about it until now.

"Victoria" Bella mumbled to herself.

Everyone turned their attention to Bella, "What did you say?" Alice questioned.

"Victoria was the name of the vampire who turned me. She had someone else with her named James. I remember James being upset about someone who took his target away from him. They kept saying his name was Hunter, that's where I remember hearing the name from." Bella said.

Everyone was staring at Bella in silence as she explained what happened to her, and what significance it had to Alice's past. It seems as though there had been some connection between Bella's creator and Alice's, after all.

"It was about six months after you were admitted that I came face to face with a vampire named Victoria. I had no idea what she was, so when I first met her I was stunned by how beautiful she was. She had long flowing red hair, but her eyes were red as blood."

Alice sunk lower in her seat and listened intently as Bella continued with her story. Bella's eyes stared straight down at the floor, too afraid to look at anyone around her.

"I was sitting in the woods, at a spot we used to spend most of our time at when she approached me. I had been skipping stones in the creek, not really paying attention to what was around me when I saw a stone I hadn't thrown skip all the way across the creek bed, and continue its way on shore. When I turned around to see who it was, she was standing beneath the shadows of the trees, watching me with a smile on her face. She didn't seem scary; in fact, she seemed to draw me in closer to her."

"That's how it usually is with humans. You can't resist the pull of a vampire, we always lure them in." Carlisle said.

"I guess that's why it was so easy for me to become trapped. She approached me and I didn't mind, not really knowing why, because I usually kept to myself, but I was comfortable in her presence. She told me her name was Victoria and that she had been watching me for quite some time."

Bella allowed herself to remember the events of that day as if it just happened the day before. After so many years of trying to forget, she knew the memory would never leave her mind.

_Biloxi, 1920_

_Isabella had spent most of the time since Mary Alice's disappearance in seclusion. She didn't want anything to do with her family or anyone else. Of course they worried about her, but what could her parents do about it? They knew of her feelings for Mary Alice, Isabella didn't have to tell them. Every day since Mary Alice left, Isabella went to the creek where they shared their first kiss. She didn't know what else to do, except wait and hope that Mary Alice would someday return to her. She had no idea where Mary Alice had gone, her father or step mother wouldn't tell Isabella anything about where she was. _

_So once again, Isabella was at the creek, idly skipping stones in the shallow water. Her mind was focused on Mary Alice when she felt the presence of another person. Someone else was there, watching her in the shadows. Then a stone came flying out of the corner of her eye, skipping clear across the creek, and landed on the bank._

"_My name is Victoria, and I must say you're rather good at skipping stones, but there is something you're not doing right." A stranger's voice cut through the air._

"_What am I doing wrong?" Isabella turned to look back at the shallow creek, but when she turned back around to face Victoria, she was no longer there._

"_You have to put force into it…" Victoria stalled, already over by the beginning of the creek, picking up a new stone. The shadow of the tree covered her body, but when she picked up a new stone, her hand shimmered against the sunlight._

"_Isabella…Isabella Swan. I think I can skip stones just fine." _

_Victoria only smiled her pearly whites, and that's what lured Isabella in closer. She was captivated by her beauty, and the ease at which they were communicating. She hadn't experienced such ease with talking to someone since Mary Alice._

"_Come closer; let me show you how I do it." Victoria beckoned Isabella closer with her finger._

_Isabella was already within arm's reach of Victoria, all she had to do was reach out and grab her, but something kept her from doing so. Victoria wanted something other than blood._

_Victoria gently took Isabella by the arm, and wrapped her in her own. She breathed in Isabella's scent, and placed the stone in Isabella's arm. "You have to use force like this." Victoria jerked Isabella's arm with a little bit more force, but not enough to harm her. The stone went skipping through the water at a fast speed, and landed on the other side of the creek._

_Isabella stared at the water for a few seconds, in awe of the strength behind this somewhat tiny woman. "How did you do that?" _

_This is when she realized something was off about the situation. A beautiful woman just doesn't come out of the woods randomly and teach people how to skip stones. There was a reason why she had to be there._

"_Decades of practice…you know I've watched you out here for quite some time. You always come out here by yourself Isabella, why is that? Doesn't someone want to spend time with a girl as beautiful as yourself?" Victoria asked, extending her cold hand out and stroking Isabella on the cheek. _

"_I've never seen you here before, do you live around here? I prefer not to speak about my personal life, it's complicated." Isabella replied, finding those feelings of gloom return to her. Victoria had made her forget…momentarily._

"_I'm traveling through Biloxi with a friend of mine. He should be around here somewhere…James, are you here?" Victoria shouted out._

_Isabella looked around the small area for any signs of someone else. She swore she didn't see anyone else out there in the woods, but when she turned back around to face Victoria, there was a man standing there just as pale as Victoria._

"_Where did you come from?" Isabella asked, not liking the situation she was in. The ease and comfort of the situation had vanished. Fear replaced comfort._

"_Somewhere" He laughed._

"_James, I'd like you to meet my new friend, Isabella. Isabella, this is James." Victoria said, wrapping her arms around James's waist._

"_What a pleasure to meet you Isabella. I must say, you smell rather…delectable." James smiled, inhaling the air around him deeply, and sighing in relief._

"_Are the two of you related?" Isabella asked. She was trying to look for a way to get out of this situation; it had gotten too weird, too fast. There was no one around, and there were two of them. _

_Both of them laughed, "No, we're not related. I guess you could call us partners in crime."_

"_Why are you out here in the middle of nowhere?" Isabella asked._

"_For you." James said as a matter of fact._

_Victoria grabbed James's arm, and whispered something in his ear. _

_That was all Isabella needed to hear before she decided it was best to leave now. "I think I'm going to go home now." _

_With that said, Isabella began quickly walking away from the creek, not wanting to be there any longer. When she turned around to look back at the two strangers, they were no longer there. This only made Isabella panic, so she started to run away. She was dodging the small trees, running as fast as she could to get out of this bizarre situation. It didn't take long before James grabbed Isabella by the back of her shirt, and knocked her on the ground._

_Isabella did the natural thing and began to yell for help. James covered her mouth immediately with his own, cold hand. His face was vicious, and his eyes were murderous. The force behind James's hand was enough to crack Isabella's skull, so she stopped screaming in order for the pressure to stop._

"_Don't kill her James. I want her to join us." Victoria's voice could be heard from the side, but Isabella didn't see her._

"_I'm not going to let anyone get in the way of my target; it's not going to happen again. That Hunter freak got my target last time, but I showed him in the end. This time, nothing is going to get in the way, not even you." James shouted at Victoria. _

_With that said, Isabella watched with horrified eyes as James lowered his head, and bit Isabella on the neck. The shriek Isabella let out was muffled by James's hand, no one was there to save her; no one was there to help._

"_James please, don't kill her. She reminds me of my sister. She can be an asset to us." Victoria tried to go for the sympathy route. _

_Isabella felt James stop sucking the life out of her, and he raised his head up slowly to face Victoria who was tugging on him to let up. His piercing gaze stared down Victoria, as he silently watched her expression. "Why do you care so much about this one? There are several others girls out there who look like your sister, why this one?"_

"_She wasn't your target James, she was mine. You won't be losing your target; you'll be letting me have mine. What happened with your last victim has nothing to do with her, please let her live. I want to see what she becomes." Victoria said, looking down at Isabella who was silently squirming as the blood poured quickly down her neck. She took her finger, dipped it in Isabella's flowing blood, put it in her mouth, and relished in the delicious taste._

"_Why? What's so special about her besides the fact that she tastes good?" James asked, tempted to taste more of this delicious human._

"_I have a feeling she'll fit in well with us. We can start our own coven James; we can be bigger than this. Don't you want that extra protection? A new born will be an asset to any coven."_

"_What am I supposed to do with a new born, Victoria? I don't want to be a teacher." James spat out. _

_Victoria could see that he was slowly being persuaded, "You don't have to teach her anything, I'll do it all."_

_James stared at Victoria, and then back down at Isabella. She was right, with more people, especially a new born; they could be a force to be reckoned with. His hand still covered her mouth as she still squirmed beneath him. Her screaming had stopped, and the last tears she ever shed began rolling down her cheek._

_Isabella stared at the spot where she shared her first kiss with Mary Alice. The venom began to burn and her eyes squeezed shut from the pain, allowing a few heavy tears to escape in the process. She had no idea what was going to happen to her, she felt like she was dying, but she wasn't. Isabella tried to get up from her position, but the strength of James kept her there, unmoving and helpless._

"_How are we going to keep her subdued? She is going to be like this for a while." James asked, finally agreeing with Victoria._

"_I can bite her near the heart; the venom will get there faster, making her change quicker. We can immobilize her body by tying her up, or I can hold her down and gag her so she won't scream." Victoria suggested._

_Isabella felt as if she were on fire, all she could focus on was Mary Alice, and tried to think of a happy thought as the excruciating pain flowed through her body. The thought of her lost lover made the pain not seem so horrible. She was in so much pain she couldn't concentrate on what was going on around her, if these people were going to kill her, or if they were playing some sick game with her. Isabella dared to open her eyes once more as she gazed back at the creek where she was peacefully skipping rocks just moments ago. She saw a person standing there, watching. There was short black hair, and a white sun dress. It was Mary Alice standing there, watching her. When Isabella began yelling against James's hand for Mary Alice to come help, she disappeared. Sweat formed heavily over Isabella's brow, and her heart was beating a thousand beats per minute. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head, and this was the first of many times she passed out during her change._

_Isabella only passed out for a few minutes at a time, and each time she woke up, everything was a blur to her. She felt some kind of pressure on her body to the point where she couldn't move at all. The burning had gotten worse at times, but she finally felt a cooling sensation begin to fade over her body after what seemed like an eternity. The pain wasn't as strong as it had been at first, but it still hurt like hell. Isabella saw two blurry images often pass over her body, or touch her neck to see if there was still a pulse. She felt her heart slowing down, she tried to gasp for air as much as she could, but it wasn't helping. No matter how much she tried to breath, her heart or lungs wouldn't help her heart keep beating. She figured she was turning into one of them. If Isabella got out of this alive, she promised herself she would kill them, or die trying. They had no right to do this to her, to change her into one of them. Never would Isabella imagine that she would become a vampire. _

_Time passed and the process for Isabella's change had been completed. She no longer sweated, nor did she cry, she couldn't. Her heart was no longer throbbing, or she didn't feel like she was on fire anymore. She opened her eyes for the first time, and looked around to see where she was. She didn't know what to think at first, if what happened to her was all a dream, because now she felt fine, better than fine. She felt amazing._

"I think James tried to kill you, but Dante got in the way." Bella said quietly.

"So James killed Dante in retaliation for taking his target, and left Alice alone." Carlisle said. His eyebrows were furrowed as he tried to piece together Bella and Alice's past.

"Where are James and Victoria now?" Alice's voice came out as almost a growl.

Bella looked at Alice, who was obviously upset. "I have no idea; I escaped and haven't seen them since. My ability to block people out seems to have kept them away. Though I think if they knew where I was, especially since I'm with you now, they wouldn't hesitate to try and kill us."

Alice shifted in her seat quickly, bringing the pieces all together. She was trying to remember something, anything about how she was changed. It was all a blur though.

"We have to find them before they find us. If James is a tracker, and I was his target that got away, who knows how long it would take before he found us. There are only so many places vampires live, it's only a matter of time." Alice said.

The truth was Alice wanted to go after James for more than just as a defensive tactic, she wanted revenge. Knowing that he was the cause of pulling the girls apart was more than enough reason to take him out.

"Why don't you just leave it alone, Alice? They haven't found me yet, it's almost been one hundred years and I haven't seen a trace of them. Maybe they gave up looking, or don't care anymore." Bella suggested. She really didn't want to open old wounds and cause any more trouble.

"Trackers don't give up, Bella. You've just been lucky to have evaded them for so long. You weren't James's target, I was. They have eternity to find us, do you really want to wait for them to find us, or do you want to beat them to the punch?" Alice replied.

"Leave the past alone. You can't change what they did to us, and if they do ever find us, we have six other vampires ready to fight for us, right?" Bella looked to Carlisle and Esme, who were staring quietly at the two girls.

"Don't you want revenge for what they did to you? To us? They took your life away for their own selfish reasons. Doesn't that spark some kind of anger inside of you? It does for me. I don't want to live my life waiting for the day James comes back for me. He let me live for a reason, he wasn't finished with me yet. This is a game to him, and he will come back for his target I guarantee it. Maybe not anytime soon, but he will find us eventually." Alice's eyes were narrow; she couldn't believe how Bella could be so passive about it.

"I just don't want to go looking for danger. I was doing fine by myself all those years; I don't see why they would find us now." Bella replied.

"Maybe hiding and being secluded all that time was fine for you, but it's not for me. I'm going to kill James, and that's a promise. The sooner the better." Alice rolled her fingers through her hair quickly, and got up from her seat. She looked at Bella for a brief second, before she walked out of Carlisle's office.

Alice wasn't going to let this go. James needed to be eliminated; there was no other way around it. Better she find him, than him find her.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading/reviewing. Next chapter preview: Will conflict tear them apart?**


	14. Chapter 14

_Biloxi, 1920_

"_Look who's awake." James voice could be heard from a distance._

_This is when Isabella realized that it wasn't a dream, this had really happened. But why was she still alive?_

"_What did you do to me?" Isabella asked, noticing a small difference in the tone of her voice._

"_We made a better version of your former self. You're one of us now, an immortal. Consider it a blessing, especially since you'll be with me and Victoria." James said, approaching Isabella cautiously. He knew what newborns were capable of, and didn't want to get too close to her just yet. _

_Isabella back away from James and realized how swiftly she moved. She looked down at her hands, and through the shadows of the trees from the shining sun, she saw diamonds shimmer. Her skin tone changed to almost pure white, as if the blood had been sucked out of her entire body. She had an immense thirst, to the point where it was burning the back of her throat. _

_She felt anger rise within her, but it was subdued by her thirst. Everything else would have to wait, she needed to feed first. "Why is my throat burning?" She asked as she looked back into James's piercing red eyes._

"_You're hungry. You need to feed." James said._

_Victoria came from the side of Isabella's vision, and she wasn't alone. There was a man with her, but he was being held against his will. She held him by the back of his neck, approaching Isabella with a smile on her face, "You turned out nicely. I think I can pick them well, James." _

_Isabella was confused at first, but when the wind picked up and blew the man's scent against her face, she was savage. Without thinking at all, Isabella ran to the man and attacked him. She knew exactly what she wanted, and even though her mind was screaming no, she couldn't control her primal instinct to feed. The man shouted before Isabella reached him, but he was cut off within a matter of seconds. _

_The fresh taste of his blood hitting the back of her throat satisfied her. She drank fast and sloppily until there was nothing left. He was left completely dry. Isabella finally lifted her head, and saw the shriveled corpse of the person she just killed. She felt sick to her stomach; she was absolutely repulsed by what she had done. A look of panic crossed her face, and she turned to Victoria and James who were standing there with smiles on their face, like twisted parents who were proud of their child._

"_What am I? What did you do to me?" Isabella asked frantically, becoming more upset with each passing second. _

"_Some people tend to call us vampires." Victoria said. She approached Isabella like they had been friends their whole life, seeing no threat._

_A look of horror crossed her face as she finally realized what she had become. Vampires weren't real; they were only legend, weren't they? "Why did you do this to me? I didn't want this!" Isabella shouted._

_Victoria stood back; a sour look crossed her face. "It's too late now, you're one of us. You can either join us, or you can be against us. We created you, you should be thankful. You have eternal life now."_

"_It wasn't your choice to turn me into this. I didn't want to be this; I didn't even want to live my human life, now you're telling me I can't die?" Isabella had her hand clinched against the tree, gripping tighter as the seconds passed. _

_James noticed that the tree began to crack where Isabella was holding it. "You'll learn to love it." _

"_I don't want to learn, and I don't want to join the two of you either. I should kill you for what you've done to me." Isabella spat out, showing the anger that she had been holding in for so long._

_The two vampires looked at each other, they knew not to mess with a newborn, but two skilled vampires against one shouldn't be a challenge for either of them. "You had better watch what you say. We can destroy you in an instant." James approached Isabella, letting his ego take over his brain._

"_Try your best. I don't care if I die." Isabella challenged._

…

Bella sat in her nearly destroyed house as she thought about her first few moments as a newborn. She had been so angry; she took a life because someone else had played God with her own. She couldn't get over the fact that she had killed another, but it was in her nature. How could killing another human being be natural? To kill what Bella once was; was the worst act she could think of.

Alice had been so worked up about finding where James was; she hadn't seen her in a couple of days. Every time she had tried to talk to Alice, tried to reason with her about what she was planning to do, she wouldn't listen. Alice was determined to go after her tracker, and Bella wasn't exactly sure where all of this rage had come from. Sure he had been the cause for both of them to be turned, but Alice's life as a vampire didn't seem that dreadful to Bella. She had a better life than Bella did.

Bella didn't have a vampire family to go to when she was in need, all she had was herself. Alice was given a place to live, a family to love…somewhere to call home. Bella had spent most of her years as a vampire running and hiding. If anything, Bella should be the one wanting to track down James and Victoria. She knew them personally; Alice had no clue what they were capable of. The only reason Bella was able to get away the first time was only because she was a newborn, and easily over powered them both.

Was something like this really going to get in the way of their relationship progressing? Bella knew she wasn't going to be able to stop Alice from doing what she wanted; she just didn't understand why she was so intent on doing it now. What if James and Victoria were half way across the world, or what if someone else came along and killed them? Bella did leave them in a rather messy state; maybe they weren't able to pick the pieces back up. Bella shook her head; she knew they would have found a way to put themselves back together again.

Bella was deep in thought when she heard a noise outside of her house. It was a very subtle noise, but Bella could hear it from a mile away. She heard the gentle cracking of leaves and twigs from the forest a few feet away from her house. At first she thought it was Alice, or one of the Cullen's coming to check on how she was doing. Her house was in shambles once again, and Alice had not come back to help her repair it yet. Her thought of it being any of the Cullen's disappeared when she heard breathing.

It couldn't have been any of them, and that's when she started to become a little on edge. Bella got up from the seat she was sitting in, and made her way toward the window to see who was out there. She peered outside, and saw a dark shadow hiding against one of the trees. It was a human form, but it was massive. She backed away from the window momentarily, but noticed that the figure had caught her eye. Bella moved quickly toward the back door, and opened it slowly. She stepped outside, listening intently as the twigs beneath her cracked from the pressure of her feet. The only noise that could be heard was crickets, and running water from a far off distance.

"Who's here?" Bella's voice broke through the silence. She looked toward her parents graves and noticed that there was something placed in front of them. The bright purple and yellow colors showed that they were wildflowers. Someone came to visit her parent's graves, and placed flowers for them.

A foul odor crossed Bella's senses and she scrunched her face in response. The figure was approaching her slowly, and the smell was getting stronger. Who was this massive beast? Was it a Sasquatch that just happened along and placed flowers on her parent's graves? It sure smelled like the creature had been rolling in something dead. Bella felt the ground before her shake as the beastly figure approached.

"Who are you?" A booming voice came from the figure that just stopped short of the tree line.

Bella stepped closer toward the creature, but held back when she heard a low growl cross his lips. "I'm Bella Swan, I live here. Why did you put flowers on those graves?"

The figure was quiet, and unmoving. "That's not possible." He spoke more to himself than to Bella.

"What's not possible? I own this house; you're on my property. Will you kindly tell me who you are?"

Bella found this voice to be oddly familiar. When she started to think about whose voice it was, it clicked. Carlisle had not mentioned talking to the Quileute tribe when he had last seen him, but she didn't need to have Carlisle's proof to know that this was Jacob, or someone who was related to him.

"Jacob Black, is that you?" Bella asked.

The figure was silent once more, but she could sense he was surprised by what she had said. Finally the figure moved from the shadows and out into the open where Bella finally saw who it was.

"What did they do to you, Bella?" Jacob's baby face appeared with a hint of anger. It was like he never changed.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and shock as she stared at the man before her. He looked exactly the same, except for the fact that he was massive in size, it was still him. "How can you still look like that? How are you even alive?"

"You're one of them." Jacob said in a disgusted voice.

Bella didn't need to ask to know what he was talking about, "It wasn't the Cullens who did this to me. There's no need to harm them, they had nothing to do with it."

"How can I trust what you say? Maybe you're just trying to protect them." Jacob said.

"Since when did you ever not trust me? Jake, you know it's me. I'm still Bella, I wasn't changed by them. I was changed by two others, who the Cullens are actively seeking to destroy now. Ask Carlisle, he'll tell you the truth."

"Still Bella? I thought you were long dead. I never saw you again…you didn't know how sick your parents were over your disappearance. When they came back without you, we had all assumed you either ran away, or you were dead. What happened to you?" Jacob asked.

Bella stared at Jacob for a few seconds before she said, "Why don't you come inside, I'm going to have to explain a lot to you."

Jacob looked around his surroundings for a moment, and then nodded his head. Bella opened the door for him to enter, embarrassed from the mess but he probably wouldn't know what happened just a few days before.

"How was I supposed to go back to my parents like this? By the time I had escaped, it was too late. I was a different person; I couldn't have gone back to them. You don't know how many times I've wanted to see them. I'm assuming that you're a shape shifter like the Cullens explained, and that's why you're not an old man or dead, am I right?" Bella wanted to explain everything, but she also wanted to know more about Jacob.

They took a seat at the kitchen table, as Jacob looked around the house for any sign of someone else. "You're correct. I didn't realize I was until the Cullens came to Forks. I guess you could say they kind of helped my generation show our true selves. They brought out the beast in us, but we agreed to keep things civil as long as they stayed away from our land and didn't take any innocent lives."

"Alice explained that to me, the treaty part anyway." Bella replied.

"Alice…is that the blonde one?" Jacob asked.

"No, she's the one with the short black hair. She is a completely different story though. We kind of have a history together."

Jacob's eyes were staring straight into Bella's; he couldn't believe she was actually sitting in front of him, alive and well. "A history like us?" he inquired.

"I met Alice while I was still alive, right after we moved to Biloxi. She was my neighbor, and she was human then too. To make a long story short, because I really don't want to get into the details right now, we lost each other for decades. I had no idea she was alive, and neither did she. Funny thing is that she doesn't remember me at all because of her amnesia. So I decided to come back here to my parent's home to have some kind of connection to my human life, and I end up getting the surprise of my life when I see Alice living with the Cullens as a vampire. I had no idea there even was a coven living here until they followed me home one day."

Jacob was just staring at Bella like she had been speaking another language. He didn't know where to begin; it was information overload. "Amnesia?" he simply questioned.

Bella sighed, "Apparently she forgot her human life because of the treatments she received during her time in the mental hospital. I said it was a long story, but we can talk about her later. I want to know about you, and how you're still alive."

Jacob rolled his shoulders roughly in a shrug, "I'm a shape shifter. As long as we keep shifting, we don't age. I'm the leader of my tribe now, and have been for quite some time. We change into wolves, which I'm sure the Cullens have already told you. We protect our land from anyone who is a threat to us or our surrounding area."

"Do you still consider yourself human?" Bella asked as she tried to tune out the beating of his heart.

Jacob nodded his head. "Do you consider yourself human?" he asked in a harsh tone.

Bella was quiet for a moment before she finally replied, "No, I don't."

Jacob watched as Bella's face fell from one of ease, to one of pain. He didn't want to make her feel bad, she was still Bella. Yet, she had been turned into something he was supposed to destroy. It wasn't easy to be civil around vampires, but he had to try because of who it was. "I'm sorry Bella, but you don't understand that I was brought up to hate…your kind. It's not easy for me to think of you as one of them."

Bella's eyes snapped back up to Jacobs face, and they had a look of fury. She was getting tired of everyone trying to put her in her place and try to tell her how she should feel about herself, "You know nothing about me Jacob. This wasn't something I asked for, it just happened. You can't just bottle up every single vampire and deem them unworthy of walking the earth. I used to be your friend Jacob; we grew up together. Now you're saying you're supposed to hate me for what I am? I'm still the same person that I was a hundred years ago, I haven't changed; you have. I'm not the one telling you I hate you for what you are, now am I?"

Jacob's facial was a mixture of confusion and anger. He opened his mouth to say something back, but was abruptly cut off when someone came bursting through Bella's front door, knocking it completely off its hinges. Both Bella and Jacob jumped out of their chairs; Jacob placing himself in front of Bella. Bella rolled her eyes, and pushed Jacob aside as Edward came into her vision.

"What's he doing here? Are you alright, Bella?" Edward looked from Bella to Jacob, and then back to Bella again. His teeth were showing, and he was ready to pounce.

"I know him Edward, it's alright. He isn't going to hurt me; he used to be my friend." Bella explained.

Edward looked to Jacob who was also ready to start a fight. A few seconds passed before Edward lowered his guard and relaxed, allowing Jacob to do the same. "I didn't know she lived here. I was just coming to place flowers on her parent's graves when she came out of the house. I knew her before any of this began." Jacob explained.

Edward looked to Bella who was nodding her head, and looking at the newly destroyed front door. "I'm sorry for coming in like that; I just smelled your scent and didn't know what to think. I had no idea Bella knew who you were."

"Right, well I guess I should be leaving now. I don't want to say anything else I'll regret. I'm sorry for what I said earlier Bella. I've missed you terribly, and it's great that you're still alive. I just wish it were under different circumstances." Jacob made his way to leave.

"I hope you know that I still want to see you. Even though you may not like what I am, I'm still your friend and always will be. This didn't happen by chance, we're both alive for a reason." Bella watched as Jacob walked out of the back door.

"I know Bella. Maybe I'll come visit you later, we can talk more about what we've been up to since we last saw each other. I'm sure that'll be one hell of a conversation." Jacob looked at Bella with sadness in his eyes.

Edward approached Bella from behind and placed his hand on her shoulder. She turned around to look at him, and shrugged his hand back off her shoulder. When she turned back around, Jake was already gone.

"What are you doing here Edward?" Bella asked.

"I just came to see how you were since Alice hasn't brought you around the house in the past few days." Edward explained.

Bella walked through the mess that was her house, and began to pick up various items along the way. "Do you have any idea why she is so intent on killing James and Victoria? Has she always been determined to get what she wants?"

Edward followed her around, and began picking up things along with her, "Yes, Alice has always been determined to get what she wants. I think she wants vengeance for what was has been done to the both of you. Wouldn't you want to go after the person who destroyed your life too? By the way, what happened to your house? I thought you had fixed it up."

She paused momentarily as a smile crossed her face, "I think some wild animals got into my house and tore everything apart when I wasn't here. But back on the subject, James and Victoria did destroy my life, they took everything away from me without my consent, but I don't want to go hunt them down and kill them. I'd rather just leave them alone before I start anymore drama in my life. Alice doesn't even remember what happened to her; I had to tell her who it was."

Edward laughed half-heartedly, "From all my time knowing Alice, she has always had one promise. She had always said if she knew who created her; she would make sure to destroy them. I think she was missing something from her life as a human, and although she didn't know what it was, she still felt it in her heart. Whatever she was missing, it must've been strong enough to make her hate her maker."

Bella stood there in silence as it began to make sense. This urge to kill them wasn't all of a sudden or random, she had been planning it for decades. All it took was a name and a little bit of proof for Alice to get the information she needed. What didn't make sense was that Bella was here now, wasn't she what Alice had been missing or was Bella too hopeful? Bella made the mistake of thinking once she had Alice as her own, and that everything would be okay.

"I thought she would at least take in to consideration what I had to say about it, but I can't stop a woman who has had a grudge all these years. I just thought I could make it different; make her see that she doesn't have to kill anyone." Bella sat down on the sofa, making pieces of cotton and feathers fly up in the air.

Edward moved slowly toward Bella, and gently sat down next to her. He had to admit to himself that he did like Bella, too much for his own good. He could try to take her away from Alice, make a move and see what happened, but he didn't want to be that kind of person. "I don't think you can stop her no matter how hard you try. She is thick headed, and rarely ever changes her mind. As far as Alice is concerned, you can either be with her or against her, she is still going to do what she wants."

The feathers fell lightly against Bella's arms, and she brushed them off. "What exactly does a tracker do?"

"Trackers are capable of hunting their prey down from hundreds, maybe thousands of miles away. All it takes is one faint scent to make a tracker obsessed over his target. They will not stop until their target is dead by their hands, and they spare no one who gets in the way. I'm not trying to take sides, but Alice is doing the right thing by going after her tracker now, rather than wait for him to find her again. Why do you think he left her alive? He wasn't just giving up, he was giving her another chance at life just so he could track her down again at some point and finish what he started." Edward explained.

"That's sick." Bella said, disgusted that some of her fellow vampires could act this way. Jacob had a point to disliking some vampires, some of them were real monsters.

"It's all a game to them. It's fun to hunt down their victims; it's like they get a rush out of it." Edward maintained his distance from Bella. He wanted to get closer to her, but his chivalry kept him away.

"Have you ever heard of the tracker James? Or the woman he runs with, Victoria?" She asked.

Edward shook his head as he swept up the stray feathers near him, "I haven't, but I can ask around. My family knows the Denali coven in Alaska; I can give them a call and see if they have anything to say. Do you know where they're usually known to be?"

"I met them in Biloxi, but something tells me they were just were just passing by. James was after Alice, I guess it didn't take long for Victoria to catch on to my scent. She was the one that wanted me to join them, James wanted me dead."

"Can I ask how you managed to get away from them, especially if James was a tracker? You would think he would constantly be tracking you down." Edward got up from his position on the couch, and moved to the front door. He picked it up, and tried to prop it back up on its hinges.

"You didn't break the door; it was already hanging off its hinges before you came." Bella made a side comment.

"Allow me to fix it for you at least." Edward said.

"I was a newborn, and I was really upset about what happened to me. James tried to attack me and put me in my place, but I wouldn't let him. I ended up tearing James to pieces, but when I turned around to go after Victoria, she was already gone. After that I just ran, but I knew I didn't kill James. He was still moving around after I left. I was scared, and I didn't know what I was doing. I panicked and left when I should have stayed behind and finished what I started. I wasn't James target, and maybe a new scent crossed his senses. I've never lived anywhere long enough for them to find me if they have been looking for me, except now."

"It's normal to be afraid. If I were changed like you were, I would have felt the same as you. I'm sorry you had to go through with that. None of us had easy transitions, but some are worse than others." Edward was able to get the door back on its hinges without any tools. He opened and closed the door a few times just to make sure it wasn't going to fall back down.

"I just don't want to see Alice get hurt or killed, especially after I just found her again. She doesn't realize how much I've missed her and longed for her to be near me. Just to be able to see her would've made my existence bearable. I don't want to lose her again." Bella admitted.

"You're not going to lose me again." Alice's voice suddenly echoed through the room.

Bella looked up toward Edward, who was holding the door open for Alice. She was standing there watching Bella with determination in her eyes. Bella looked on with sadness in her eyes as Alice walked further into the house. Alice looked around the room, realizing that she had forgotten about the mess the both of them made.

"How can you be sure about that? Anything could happen. To live all this time without you, and have the chance of losing you again really sucks. I just got you back Alice, why do you want to go out and risk it all again? You don't understand how much I've missed you, you don't even remember me." Bella looked up at Alice from her position on the sofa.

Alice didn't want to admit it, but Bella was right. Alice hadn't remembered Bella; she didn't know the pain of missing a love like Bella had. Sure, Alice knew there was something missing from her life, she knew there was a mysterious woman, but she was never able to put a name to that woman. She was getting herself into a risky position, but she had made a promise to herself. Was she being selfish? Should she just let it go?

"This is something I promised myself I would do a long time ago Bella. I'm not going after them alone; I have my entire family to help me along the way. This will be an easy task to accomplish, and then neither of us will have anything to worry about." Alice tried to make it sound better.

"What if James and Victoria aren't alone anymore? The reason why they wanted me with them was to make them more powerful; they wanted to start a new coven. They could be the leaders of an entire army of vampires by now. You don't know what you're getting yourself into." Bella felt useless. There was nothing she could do that was going to change her mind.

"I'm looking into it. Wherever they are, and whoever they're with will be no match for us. We'll find them and be well prepared." Alice said.

"You really have nothing to worry about Bella." Edward chimed in.

"Do you wonder why I'm not eager to go out and kill my creators? Because for once in my existence I'm happy. I thought I finally found my place, you were back in my life, and all was well again. I was prepared to live my existence without you, but here you are sitting right in front of me. This is a miracle, and if this isn't fate, then I don't know what is. Now you want to go out and risk your life…what if you don't come back? What am I supposed to do then?" Bella felt like crying, if only she could.

"I'm going to be fine Bella, I'll come back and we can continue right where we left off. There's nothing you can say that will make me change my mind, I just need to know if you're going to help me find them or not?" Alice asked. She was confident that this would be an easy task.

"If I can't change your mind, then I'd be damned if I let you find them on your own. If you're going to risk your life; then so am I. I hope you realize how much I don't want to do this." Bella said in a cold tone. She was mad, but she wasn't about to let Alice go willingly into a death trap. This time if Alice didn't make it, Bella wouldn't either.

Alice lifted the side of her lips in a half smile. "I promise once this is over you will have me completely. It'll be okay, you'll see." She moved in and kissed Bella against the lips, not caring if Edward was watching.

Edward had his back facing the girls; he didn't want to see what he was missing.

"Now, let me tell you what I've found out about James." Alice began to explain the various plans she had come up with the past couple of days to both Edward and Bella. Bella sat there with a miserable face, half listening, and half wishing this wasn't happening. Edward listened intently as he picked up broken pieces of furniture and tried to put them back together again.

_This is going to be easy _Alice thought.

If only she knew the danger that awaited her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading/reviewing as always. Next chapter preview: Something from the past is brought back to fulfill it's true meaning. **


	15. Chapter 15

The days passed by as Alice and her family prepared to go after James and Victoria. It had been settled that all of them would help her because they didn't want anything bad to happen. Carlisle insisted that they did it as a team, and although Alice was hesitant at first, she finally agreed to let them help. Edward was already looking into their whereabouts, calling every vampire he ever came in contact with. Emmett and Rosalie seemed to be excited about the opportunity to cause some pain. Jasper and Danielle were the least enthused about it, but nevertheless promised to fight alongside Alice.

This left Bella alone with her thoughts against going after them. Sure she agreed to fight with them, but at what cost? What if one of them died because of this? What if it was Alice that died? What choice did Bella have? Either watch as Alice is slaughtered, or try to help them out and have the chance of saving her.

Bella decided to go to the Cullens house after school. Alice was speaking to Edward downstairs, so Bella decided to come up and explore more of Alice's room. She was currently sitting on the bed Alice had, enjoying the small comfort it brought her. In a moment of insecurity, she wondered if Danielle had ever been in this bed with Alice, but immediately shook the feeling off. She got off the bed, and moved to Alice's closet.

She opened the door to the closet, and wasn't a bit surprised when she saw what was inside. The closet was just as big, if not bigger, than the bedroom itself. Clothes were hanging up along each wall, and shoes lined the bottom sides of the walls. She had stacks of shelves for her shoes, like they were on display. She had each and every kind of shoe a person could ever imagine. From high heels, to sandals, to flats…they were all there.

Bella pushed through the clothes that were hanging up, not really interested in looking at the several styles she had in there. It seemed as though Alice had her clothes sorted by the decade. The further back she got in her closet, the older the clothes became. There were tie-dye stained shirts and bell bottom jeans, and then it moved to conservative dresses and skirts of bland colors. The fabric on some of the clothes had been maintained fairly well over the years, others not so much. There were sundresses and polka dot dresses the further along she got. Bella could tell she was getting into the really old section, perhaps Bella would see something she recognized.

She chose to view these particular items of clothing more closely. The sliding of the wooden hanger moved across the metal bar slowly as she studied each item carefully. Bella inhaled deeply, hoping that there would be some kind of scent left on the clothes, but that thought was far-fetched. Bella hadn't seen anything she recognized at all, until she reached the very last item at the end of the closet. There was the very dress Alice was wearing the day her parents took her to the insane asylum. Tattered and torn, the dress still remained. It must have been all Alice had. Dante must have left it with her before he died.

The fabric was very brittle and stiff, there were signs of dirt stains, and possibly even blood stains. Bella held the fabric in her hand for a moment, and then looked down at her feet to find a very old suitcase sitting there. Curiosity got the best of her, and she bent down to see what was inside. It wasn't a very particularly attractive suitcase, just plain, brown leather. Leather straps and a buckle in the middle locked the contents inside. Bella carefully undid the straps and buckle. She wasn't sure what she was going to find in here; perhaps it would reveal more about her life after Bella.

The closet door was shut, and there was no sign of Alice anywhere, not that Bella thought Alice would mind her looking through her things…without another thought Bella opened the suitcase and looked inside. Much to her dismay, it was empty. Bella felt around the suitcase for any extra pockets, just to be sure it was empty, and that's when she hit a small box hiding in the corner. She picked it up and heard something rattling inside.

The small wooden box was worn out heavily, and almost completely broken. Bella opened the box, careful not to break anything, and took a look inside. Inside the box rested a small sapphire ring, dulled from the time sitting in the box. She stared at the ring with wide eyes before she picked it up to examine it better.

"How could I forget?" Bella whispered to herself.

"Forget what?" Alice's voice came from behind her.

Bella was taken by surprise by Alice, but when she turned around to face her, there was a look of curiosity instead of anger. Alice eyed the ring resting in Bella's hand, smiling slightly. Bella looked back down at the ring, as Alice sat next to Bella to get a better look.

"The ring." Bella said.

"What about it? I've always had it with me."

"I gave it to you."

Alice's eyes shot open in surprise, "Really?"

Bella nodded her head, "I gave it to you as a promise that I would always love you. Since it was unheard of for girls to marry one another back then, I decided to give you a promise ring. It was my mother's ring; she passed it down to me, and told me that one day I would give it to someone I loved too. I think she meant if I ever had a daughter, but I wanted to give it to you."

Alice reached for the ring, and studied it further, "You don't know how many times I've come in here to look at this ring, and wondered where it came from. It was in that box after I woke up, just lying in the pocket of my dress." Alice gestured to the dress above her.

"I remember that dress too." Bella half smiled.

"So…was that considered our marriage?" Alice asked. She curious just how far along their relationship progressed.

"I guess you could say that. We were committed to each other, and determined not to live our lives with anyone else. I wanted you to have that ring as a symbol for how much you meant to me. I loved you so much Alice, and I still do." Bella took the ring gently out of Alice's hand, and slipped it on Alice's ring finger. Bella's hand lingered there for a while, caressing Alice's finger, and smiling at the sight before her.

Alice's vision began to fade. She felt another vision of a faded memory coming to her. The last thing she saw before her vision began was Bella smile which went from ear to ear.

_The girls were sitting against the wall of a white house, beneath the window of someone's room. It was a hot afternoon as the sun beat against the girls faces. Mary Alice turned to Isabella, who looked more nervous than ever. She was playing with something in her hand, and Mary Alice was curious as to what it was._

"_What's wrong Isabella? Are you feeling all right?" Mary Alice asked curiously. _

_Isabella was hesitant to respond. Her breathing was very shallow as she held out her shaking hand. "I wanted to give you something special. I want to show you just how much you mean to me._

_Mary Alice smiled, "Well what is it, silly? You don't have to be shaken up around me, just relax."_

_Isabella smiled weakly, "All right, I'll show you, but you have to close your eyes first."_

"_Fine, I'll close my eyes." Mary Alice chuckled, and covered her eyes with her right hand._

"_Don't be peeking either." Isabella warned in a stern voice._

_This only caused Mary Alice to laugh more, but soon stopped when she felt something slide across her ring finger on her left hand. She moved her right hand off her face immediately and stared at the shiny sapphire ring that was just placed on her finger. "Oh my…Isabella…" She was at a loss for words._

_Isabella stared intensely at Mary Alice to gauge her reaction, "Well, do you like it?"_

"_Like it? I love it! It's the cat's meow!" Mary Alice blurted out._

_Isabella's shoulders dropped from the relief of tension, she was ecstatic that Mary Alice had liked it. She wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead and said, "I'm glad you love it, because I love you. I wanted to show you how much I care for you. I know it's impossible for us to be married, but why can't we live like we are anyway? I know I don't want anyone else but you, and I have a very strong feeling that you feel the same way. This is my promise to you that I'll never stop loving you. You'll always own my heart Mary Alice, never forget that."_

_Mary Alice pulled Isabella in for a kiss, and hugged her tightly. She squeezed Isabella as hard as she could, and clung on to her shoulder. "You are too good to me Ms. Swan. Sometimes I don't think I deserve someone like you. I can't believe how happy you've made me. I've never been this happy in my entire life. I love you too Isabella, I never ever want to see you go. We'll be together until the end." Mary Alice tried to cover up the few tears that were coming down her face. She was genuinely happy for the first time in her life._

"_Can you imagine us as two old ladies living out the rest of our days together? Wouldn't that be a sight?" Isabella chuckled as she clung on to Mary Alice, squeezing just as tightly as Mary Alice was._

Alice snapped out of her quick flashback, and looked at Bella with fresh eyes. Bella had just been waiting quietly for Alice to snap back out of it, she was still holding on to her hand.

"What did you see?" Bella asked.

"When you first gave me the ring. We were sitting beneath a window to a house, and you were nervous." Alice smiled.

"That was my house. We were watching the sunset together, but it was still blistering hot. I couldn't help but be nervous, I mean look at you. You're stunning." Bella smiled in return.

Alice felt a warm sensation run throughout her cold body, and she suddenly felt bad for the way she had been acting the past few days. Here Bella was sitting right in front of her nose, the answer to everything she had been searching for, and she couldn't even give her the time of day to spend time with her. Alice felt these feelings of having something missing from her life subside the second Bella kissed her for the first time; she was the answer to everything good in her life.

"You really are a sweetheart. Or should I say the cat's meow?" Alice laughed.

Bella smiled and let out a chuckle, "I prefer the bee's knees. I always thought it sounded more sophisticated."

"I never would have thought the bee's knees was considered sophisticated, but the cat's meow will always be my term." Alice gazed at the ring that was now sitting on her finger, watching as the dull stone shone against the light in the closet.

Bella was quiet once more; there was an odd look upon her face, much like the way she looked when Alice saw her in her visions. "Will you wear it again?"

Alice was caught off guard at first, and looked back up to Bella to make sure she was being serious. Why had Alice stopped wearing it in the first place…then she remembered, she stopped wearing it when she was involved with Danielle. It was tucked away safely in this old suitcase so no one else would find it. Every so often, Alice would return to this raggedy old suitcase, just to stare at the ring again. Although she never wore it after she had broken up with Danielle, she still came to look at it, and wonder.

"Of course I'll wear it. Danielle asked me to remove it when we first started dating, and it's been sitting safe inside here ever since." Alice replied, scooting her body closer toward Bella's.

"What else did Danielle ask you to do?" A hint of jealousy was heard in Bella's voice.

She took hold of Bella's hand, and forced Bella to look in her eyes, "This isn't about her, Bella. I was in a relationship with her; that was another time in my life. I don't love her like that anymore; you're the one that I love. There's nothing in this world that will take away my love for you."

Bella blinked her eyes, and licked her lips. There was a slight shift in Bella's body, and Alice only realized now what was about to happen. Bella closed her eyes, and moved to close the gap between their lips. Alice responded eagerly, and moved her free hand behind Bella's neck. It had only been a couple of days, but going without any kind of physical contact made their hearts burn with desire. The kiss only blew wind on the burning blaze, making it hotter than it had ever been before.

"Don't you miss touching me? How can you stand to be away from me these past couple of days? Don't you feel it too?" Bella gasped between fierce kisses.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to… I was afraid you were mad at me…but I really wanted to, you have no idea how much I wanted to wreak havoc on your house." Alice had to stop momentarily between her sentences. The things Bella was doing with her tongue to Alice's neck would make anyone go insane.

"Don't ever make me wait for you like that again, I will always desire you. I want you to touch me Alice…please." Bella's voice came out in almost a hiss as practically begged Alice to put her hands on her.

Alice needed no further hints at what Bella wanted. With a simple placing of Alice's hand against Bella's body, they didn't hesitate to try to cool down the blazing fire of lust, not that they ever wanted it to be cooled anyway.

…

The girls emerged from the closet a couple of hours later with goofy smiles plastered on their face. Alice's pathetic attempt to straighten out her clothes was cut short when she felt Bella's body lean against her own in a hug. Alice hugged her back, and lost her senses once more in Bella.

"Edward's coming." Alice said with a sigh.

Bella had her head resting against Alice's shoulders, "What else is new?"

It took a matter of seconds before the girls heard a light tapping against Alice's door. Bella let go of Alice long enough for her to open the door for Edward.

"Edward, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Alice asked politely.

"I found them. I know where they are." Edward blurted out.

Alice was surprised, and Bella felt nervous all over again. Their little honeymoon was over.

"Where?" Alice simply asked.

Edward walked into the room a few steps more, and made himself comfortable by sitting on the bed next to Bella. "I called Tanya to ask if she had ever heard or met anyone by the name of James or Victoria. I explained to her that they would most likely be a couple, or have others with them. I didn't need to explain any further, because she knew exactly who I was talking about."

"So they're in Alaska?" Alice asked.

"They were there not too long ago. They spoke with the Denali coven, and explained to them what they were trying to do. Both James and Victoria were hunting for unusual people to join their own coven. They were tracking down people who were considered abnormal or elite, and forcing them to join their coven once they were changed." Edward explained.

"But they can't do that, can they? Wouldn't that be illegal with the Volturi? You can't just kill people and claim them as your own, can you?" Bella asked.

"There isn't really anything wrong with that, as long as they are training the newborns, and are taking people who won't be missed. They most likely haven't reported what they're doing to the Volturi. If there are too many of them, and the Volturi know about it, why would they let them continue to grow?" Alice asked.

"They wouldn't. The Volturi don't like it when a coven gets too big, so they most likely aren't aware of what's going on. Tanya said they were moving through Alaska, and trying to start a coven in rural Canada. She said they were headed toward the city of Whitehorse to try to scout out more victims." Edward looked to Alice, who was pacing back and forth.

"How long ago were they in contact with Tanya?" Alice asked.

"She said about seven months ago. There wasn't anyone else with them at the time, but that doesn't mean they don't already have an enormous coven." Edward said with a grim expression.

Everyone was quiet; none of them knew what to say. How exactly do you confront someone with an entire army of vampires? They were just starting out this coven in 1920, how many of them were there now? Maybe Tanya didn't see any of them, or maybe their coven had been spread out through the entire world. How was anyone to be sure?

"You can't go after them blindly Alice, you don't know how many of them there are." Bella said with fear in her voice.

"That's why we need someone to scout it out. We need someone who can go there and report back to us what they find. It can't be you or me; it has to be someone they don't know." Alice said.

"I can go." Edward offered.

"Not alone, you need someone else to go with you. We have to have a family meeting about this; we need to do a lot more planning than I thought." Alice stated.

"Wait a minute…why can't you see them? Your visions, you're able to see the future? Couldn't you try to focus in on them and see what they're doing?" Bella asked.

Alice paused for a moment, she wasn't able to see neither James nor Victoria, and she had no idea why she couldn't. "I can't see them; something is blocking them from my vision."

"How is that possible?" Bella asked.

"There are several things that can keep me from having visions. It's almost impossible to focus on a person if I don't know where they are specifically, or have no clue what they look like. If shape shifters are near them, then I wouldn't be able to see them either. Perhaps the Quileute tribe is watching them since they're so close to the boundary. I can try as hard as I can to focus on one of them, but it will be rather difficult."

"Do anything you can to keep yourself from running into a death trap. Please Alice, don't go after them blindly. I don't want you to get hurt, or worse." Bella pleaded.

"I already told you nothing is going to happen to me, we have this handled Bella. I wish you would stop worrying because there's nothing to worry about." Alice said a bit annoyed.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. You could be dragging all of us to our deaths, and you don't even know it." Bella said coldly.

Alice didn't know what else to say, they had already been over this argument before, and nothing Bella would say was going to change her mind, "What do you suggest the next step is?" Alice asked Edward.

"I suggest we get in contact with the Quileute's and see if they know anything about it. I can ask Carlisle to get in contact with Jacob, or maybe Bella could do it." Edward said, looking at Bella's helpless expression.

"You were with Jacob?" Alice asked.

Bella noticed a change of tone in her voice, "He came to me, but I guess you've been too busy to know about it. You didn't notice any odd smells when you came over to my house last? You said you couldn't see anyone when shape shifters were in the way, did you not notice that you couldn't see me anymore?"

Alice didn't like having conflict after such a wonderful experience with Bella, "I'm sorry Bella, I must not have noticed. I came over shortly after though, doesn't that mean something to you?"

"Of course, doesn't my opinion on anything matter to you?" Bella asked, just trying to get some sort of reaction out of Alice.

"Can we just stop this, please? I don't want to argue with you anymore Bella, especially after the moment we just shared. Everything's been settled, and we are going about this the best way we can. If I don't stop them, they will eventually come destroy us. Do you really want to wait until their coven over powers us?"

"I don't want anyone to die." Bella stared at the ring on Alice's finger, remembering a time when it was much simpler than this.

"No one will, I promise." Alice replied, watching Bella carefully. She really didn't want to hurt Bella, especially after they had just found each other again. Knowing there was a threat looming nearby made Alice want to take care of it before it got worse. She wasn't like Bella who could just get up and move when there was a problem, she had a family now, and she needed to fight for everyone's safety.

"How can you make a promise if you can't see what you're up against? Don't make promises you can't keep, Alice." Bella sat up from the spot on the bed, and made her way out of her room.

Alice looked at Edward for a few seconds for any kind of support, and all he did was look back with a blank expression. "Just give her some time Alice, once we get things figured out better, and have a full on plan, I'm sure she will feel better about our situation."

"What am I supposed to do? Just sit around ignorantly and wait for the day they come knocking on our door?" Alice asked, frustrated.

"No, you're doing the right thing. Bella just isn't used to conflict. She's probably never been involved in a fight with another vampire before, she doesn't know how simple it can be. We just need to show her that it'll be okay."

"It will be okay, won't it?" Alice asked in a moment of doubt.

Edward was quiet for a moment, he wasn't sure what to say because he honestly didn't know, "We're Cullens; we always win."

Alice's confidence shot back up with that statement, "If only Bella knew that."

"I think after this little match with James, she'll never doubt our abilities again." Edward smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks everyone for reading/reviewing. Next chapter update: Alice and Jacob finally meet.**


	16. Chapter 16

"Why didn't you tell me Jacob went to Bella's house?" Alice asked Edward randomly.

The Cullen clan was currently sitting in the school cafeteria in their usual spot. Alice was moving what little food she had on her tray around slowly, picking at it in disgust. They had to try to keep appearances, even though the thought of actually swallowing any of the garbage people call food was unpalatable.

Edward took his gaze away from Bella, who wasn't sitting with them today. Instead she was sitting with the human Mike, and his pack of friends. "I didn't think it was that important to tell you. I figured you would have thought something was going on since you weren't able to read either of us. I assumed that's why you showed up when you did."

She was silent for a moment.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't seem to pick up on much of anything now. It seems most of the visions I'm getting are from my past." Alice said.

"Maybe you should inform Carlisle of what's happening with your visions. Perhaps your mind is stuck in the past now since Bella's arrived. Why don't you try to focus on something now, anything at all and see if you can get a vision." Edward suggested.

Alice turned to Jasper and tried to focus in on him. She concentrated on him and only him, but the thought of Bella came creeping back to her. She couldn't get Bella out of her head no matter how much she tried, even if it was a miniscule thought, it was still there.

"Why not focus on Bella's future instead?" Jasper joined in the conversation.

Alice nodded her head, and finally turned her attention to Bella, who sat miserably across the cafeteria, pretending to listen to what Mike and his friends had to say. Alice felt bad for having to hurt Bella by focusing on the battle plan, but it was necessary for their survival. She focused all her attention on Bella, and closed her eyes as she felt a faint vision coming on. At first the image in her head was blurry, but the more she concentrated on the image before her, the clearer it became.

_Bella was in her house, quietly sitting at the kitchen table, and playing an old record that used to belong to her parents. She was sipping her glass of blood slowly and staring at something lying delicately against the surface of the table._

_She had the saddest expression on her face as she stared at the item, which Alice wasn't able to focus in on yet. Bella reached out to the item on the table, and picked it up slowly. Her fingers moved over it slowly, and the item suddenly became clear. It was the picture of Alice and Bella when they were both human. The edges were worn, and there was a small tear in the lower left corner, but Bella treated it the best she could._

"_You're not my Mary Alice anymore. You're Alice Cullen." Bella whispered to herself. The usual melody of her vampire toned voice was low, and cracked…almost human like._

_There was a noise outside Bella's house, and she scrunched her nose in disgust right when the vision cut off. _

Jacob...thought Alice.

If Alice didn't feel anything by now, then she really didn't care. She didn't want to be this different person to Bella. She wanted to be the girl Bella fell in love with in the first place, but how was she supposed to know how things used to be? It wasn't Alice's fault that she had a different life now. Maybe Alice was essentially the same person, in the same body as before, but the soul had changed. There was a fighter inside of Alice that never revealed itself to Bella when they were human. Years of living with the Cullens turned her into a cocky, self-assured vampire who knew how to take care of business. The obstacles that were in the way now never would have existed if they still had beating hearts.

Of course Alice wasn't going to abandon the Cullens, this was her family. It was almost impossible to just drop everything, and leave with Bella. Alice didn't want to leave her coven, she loved them all dearly. It seemed that Bella preferred things when it was just the two of them, and Alice couldn't blame her for that.

Things had been very hot and cold with Bella recently, and Alice felt there needed to be some sort of agreement between them regarding James and Victoria before anything would be okay between them. Right at that moment, Bella looked in Alice's direction and caught her eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds, mesmerized by one another, before Bella forced herself to look away and promptly decided to get up and leave the cafeteria.

"I think you need to go talk to her." Danielle said quietly against Alice's ear, eyeing the sapphire ring that was currently resting on Alice's ring finger.

Keeping her eyes locked on Bella's vanishing body, Alice nodded her head, and got out of her seat to go catch up to Bella. Danielle watched as Alice left, and felt a momentary sense of loneliness, but was immediately replaced with happiness. Danielle turned to Jasper who tried his best to smile for her.

"I really do love you, Jasper." Danielle moved in to hold Jasper closer to her side. She didn't know what she would have done without him in her life.

Edward's gaze followed Alice, and watched as she exited the cafeteria, right on Bella's tail. He turned to the tray of food that was left on the table, and pushed it to the other side of the table. Emmett slapped a comforting hand on Edward's back, and he smiled weakly in return.

"Bella, wait for a minute. I want to talk to you." Alice said, she was only a few steps behind the brunette.

She didn't answer the short haired girl, she just kept walking. Obviously, anger still lingered. "Bella please, will you listen to what I have to say?"

Still no answer.

"Isabella" Alice grabbed Bella by the shoulder, and turned her around swiftly. If she didn't want to be caught, then she wouldn't have let Alice catch up.

"What do you want to talk about? I don't want to hear anything about your battle plans, or about how your family is the greatest army in the universe. So don't waste my time." Bella said coldly.

"I don't want it to be like this between us, I want to come to some kind of agreement with you."

"Agreement about what? Whether we're going to die now, or later?" She said sarcastically.

Alice looked around, and noticed a few people were staring. "Please Bella; just come to my house tonight around eight. We're having a meeting, and I want you to have a say in what's going on. You're my girlfriend, and I love you too much to put myself before you anymore."

"I'm your girlfriend? When did we decide that?" Bella was momentarily distracted by this surprise.

"Well I assumed it was when we made love. I don't take matters of sex lightly. I know it's my own fault, but you don't realize how much I care about you. I understand that you're mad at me, but please come tonight. We don't really have a choice to ignore this anymore; the Volturi has been informed of what's going on." Alice explained.

"Well that's good. You can let them handle it all. You don't have to get involved anymore." Bella said hopefully.

"It might not be that simple, please come over tonight. I want you to be there with me, with my family. You're part of this too." Alice repeated herself.

Bella remained silent and stared at Alice. She was tired of going around in circles, one moment they were happy, the next they were arguing. She wanted it to be over already, she wanted this nightmare to end. Eventually she nodded her head, "I'm planning to speak with Jacob this afternoon about the situation, just to see if he knows anything."

Alice's perfectly framed eyebrows rose slightly, but she wasn't surprised. "Mind if I sit in on the conversation? Maybe he could come to the meeting too."

The brunette saw through Alice's mock surprise, smiling slightly from picking up on a hint of jealousy, "The Volturi isn't going to be there, right?"

"No, not yet. They haven't even left Italy. I think they want to see if we can take them on first, I'm not entirely sure on that though."

"Why would they do that?" Bella asked right as the bell rang for the next class to begin.

Students began crowding out of the cafeteria and various classrooms as Alice said, "I'll explain it all tonight. For now, let's go to class." She took Bella's hand in her own, and held it tightly. To anyone passing by, it was just a friendly, familiar gesture, only the girls and the rest of the Cullens knew the true meaning.

A true smile crossed Bella's lips for the first time that day.

…

_Later that day_

…

Alice had followed Bella in her Porsche back to her house where Bella was supposed to meet Jacob. The muddy trail leading to Bella's house ruined Alice's newly washed car, but she was used to it. Maybe she should have gotten a Jeep, like Emmett had instead.

The stench of wet dog times a thousand crossed Alice's sense of smell, and she ultimately decided to stop inhaling for a while. She pulled up right behind Bella's truck, and got out of her car slowly. A shadowy figure had emerged from the forest surrounding her house, and Bella waved to the figure eagerly. He had been waiting on her.

Alice stood by her car, watching as Jake walked up to Bella and gave her a tight hug. Jealousy began to rise inside Alice, but she forced herself to keep it contained. This was just Bella's friend, she knew him longer than Bella had known her apparently. Bella's head rested against Jacob's huge chest, and that was all Alice had to see before she waltzed over there and introduced herself to Jacob.

"I'm Alice Cullen; it's a pleasure to meet you Jacob." Alice was holding her hand out to Jacob, who was still holding Bella in an embrace.

His eyes turned to Alice, obviously annoyed, but he let Bella go and shook Alice's hand, "I can finally put a name to a face. There are so many of you I can't remember which is which."

"Well now you know." Alice said plainly, never taking her eyes off Jacob.

"Why don't we go inside? It's about to rain some more." Bella said, noticing the tension between the two already.

"Good idea." Jacob said.

Alice placed her hand around Bella's waist and guided her into the house. Her instinct to claim Bella as her own was painfully obvious to Jacob, who tried to ignore Alice's gestures all together.

They entered the house, and made their way toward the kitchen table. The mess from the girls little event had been cleaned up once more, some of the furniture had noticeably been bolted to the floor. The floor had been replaced with either hard wood or tile, and the coffee table had changed from wood, to solid metal. Alice had helped with cleaning up and replacing the furniture as promised, picking out most of the styles herself. She kept in mind that she might be living in this house with Bella one day, perhaps after they took care of James and Victoria.

"I see you've remodeled a bit. That must have been some crazy animal that came in here and destroyed all your stuff. It's funny, because nothing ever came into the house while you were gone all that time. I wonder why it would want to come in now." Jacob commented.

Alice couldn't hold back her smile, "Maybe it was after the blood Bella stores in the fridge. It must've been aching from hunger."

"You know, you're probably right. The beast must've wanted it really bad to destroy the house like it did." Jacob sat down at the table, and joined the girls.

Bella let out a small laugh, and Alice squeezed her leg from beneath the table. When the laugh faded, her face became serious as she said, "Jacob, we wanted to talk to you about a new coven being formed really close to us. We were wondering, by chance, if you know anything about the coven forming in Canada."

"My pack has followed many vampires over the years; do you have anything more specific about them?" Jacob asked, noticing how close Alice was sitting next to Bella. His eyes moved down the length of the girls, and saw Alice's hand reaching over to Bella's lap.

The rain began to fall outside the house right at that moment, and immediately became a downpour. "I'm looking for someone who wants me dead; the main leaders go by the names Victoria and James. Victoria had long flowing red, curly hair the last time I saw her. James had dirty blonde, semi long hair. He wasn't the most attractive guy either, but he can track someone down without them ever knowing."

"Why do they want you dead?" Jacob asked immediately, concerned for a very good reason.

"Because I managed to get away from them once before. They were the ones that made me what I am today, but I didn't want to be a part of their way of life, so I ran away. James will want to hunt down Alice as well, so we really need to know if you've seen either of them around here, or if you've seen any vampire you're not familiar with trying to come over here from Canada." Bella said, glancing from Jacob and back to Alice.

Jacob was quiet for a moment, but his facial expression spoke for him. He looked grim, and his face began to pale. "My pack has spotted a red head in our location several times over the past couple of years. We always thought she was here to visit the Cullen coven. We always gave chase to warn her not to come through our territory, but she has always managed to get away. She is a hard one to catch."

The room was silent. The worst thing they could have heard just came from Jacob's mouth.

"Oh my God." Bella uttered, breaking the silence that filled the room. She placed her hand over her face, trying not to show the fear that crossed her features. Alice was right, they already knew their location, and they were just waiting for the right time to attack.

"Have you seen her recently?" Alice asked, gripping Bella's leg lightly to try to comfort her.

Jacob thought about it for a few seconds before responding, "The last time I remember seeing her was a couple of months back. She was by herself, every time she was by herself. I've never seen this James you speak of, or anyone else trying to cut through our territory."

"What are we going to do now?" Bella moaned, obviously not used to being put in situations like this.

"We can help. I've had a few pack members keep an eye on where they last saw her. We have been patrolling the border for any signs of the cold ones for a while now. You're safe with us Bella, vampires can't stand us." Jacob offered his assistance.

"I think you're forgetting something Jake, I'm one of them." Bella said as a matter of fact.

Jake smiled bitterly, half amused and half heart broken, "That doesn't mean I've stopped caring for you. I never went a day without thinking about you, where you were, if you were still alive. Trust me; if they turned you into a cold one, they're going to have to face my wrath."

"We're going to need all the help we can get. Does your pack know how many there are, have they gotten close enough to her to where she exposed her hideout?" Alice asked, keeping the jealousy hidden inside of her. This wasn't the time to be jealous.

"No, but I can get my pack on it right away, and let you know what they find out." Jacob said, finally making eye contact with Alice.

"I'm sorry I didn't know they already knew where we are. I thought we could just run away…" Bella trailed off.

"It's okay Bella; you don't have to be sorry for anything. None of us knew that, but it's a good thing that we know now. Just think if you had never come along, we might all be oblivious to James and Victoria. I would have never seen it coming since they're spying on us through Quileute territory. Jacob is on our side too, and the Volturi is aware of what's going on. It'll be okay, we may not even have to fight." Alice tried to comfort Bella the best she could, even though she knew the Volturi had decided not to come.

She could already see it, the Volturi wanted to see if the Cullens could toughen out the fight themselves, possibly for their own gain. The less Cullens, the better, or so was the Volturi state of mind. They decided once the fight was over, only then they would come and pretend like they had been too late. She was all too aware of the Volturi's secret desire to have the Cullen clan dwindled down. Alice masked her anger toward the Volturi, and hid her face against Bella's hair as she went in for a hug.

Jacob cleared his throat, and shuffled in his chair a bit, obviously uncomfortable with the situation, "I'm going to talk to my pack tonight, and let them know what's going on."

Alice let go of Bella, who still clung helplessly to Alice's side, "We're having a meeting tonight, would you like to join us?" Alice offered.

He thought about it for a moment, but he didn't think he could handle being in a room filled with vampires, "Not tonight. Just tell me what the plan is when you find out."

Jacob sat up in order to leave, and his eyes lingered on Bella for a bit longer than necessary. He moved closer to Bella, and awkwardly leaned into her for a hug, to which she completely let go of Alice and hugged Jacob back with just as much force as he put in.

"It's going to be okay Bella. I know it may be frightening, but look at how many people are here to help. You're not alone anymore; you have people who love you who are more than willing to help. You'll make it through this without a scratch on you, or her either, I promise you this." Jacob looked at Alice while he was hugging Bella, and she nodded in his direction.

"I don't want anyone to die because of me." Bella finally let out what was bothering her most.

Bella's skin felt as if it were burning against Jacob's hot body. She had her eyes closed tight, not wanting to let go. Two of the most important people from her past life had returned to her, by miracle, and there was the possibility of losing them all over again. Should she have just stayed clear of Forks in order to spare them?

"They don't even know you're here. They want me, James wants me. He is tracking me, he has been tracking me. No one will die because of you, Bella. This was inevitable anyway you put it." Alice placed her hand on Bella's back, while she was still embraced in Jacobs hold.

"I'm going to go; I think the two of you need to talk in private." Jacob let go of Bella hesitantly, and gave a weak smile before he let himself out of the back door.

Bella watched him go, her eyes lingering on the door a few seconds after he had already closed it and left; she turned slowly to meet the worried gaze of Alice. "Why can't things be like they used to be?" Her voice cracked, which was incredibly hard for a vampire's voice to do.

"You don't know how much I wish we could just go back to being Isabella and Mary Alice. I know things were simpler then, we already had our lives planned out and we only ever needed each other, right?"

Bella nodded her head, scooting closer to Alice.

"That doesn't mean it can't still be that way, Bella. I know things seem really messed up right now, but the quicker we end this threat looming over our heads, the faster we can get on with ours. We don't have a choice anymore."

"Why can't we just run away?" Bella was almost pleading with Alice.

"Because I have a family now. I can't just leave them to face what's coming. Do you think James and Victoria are going to come all this way, realize I'm not here and just go away? No, they're going to try to hurt my family. I can't let them do that, I have ties here now. I'm sorry Bella, I know you didn't expect it to be this way for us, but we have to fight now. We _have _to."

"What if they kill us? What if they kill you?" Bella repeated herself from the past few arguments they had.

"I can't live with that Alice. I thought you were dead before, I don't want to live through an eternity of hell without you." Bella added.

Alice placed her fingers against Bella's chin, and moved her slightly forward so that she could place a simple kiss on Bella's lips. The simple kiss immediately progressed into something more sensual, and desperate.

"I can't live without you." Bella whimpered through her desperate kisses.

"I'm not going to die Bella…please trust me. This isn't the first time I've had to fight…" Alice said between the breaks of their kisses.

Alice was aware that Bella was fragile; she just wasn't sure to what extent. She placed herself in Bella's shoes for only a moment, and tried to feel what it was like to live your life running and searching for something she would never find. Missing the love of her life, only realizing that as time went by, the more hopeless she became, until she was just a shell of the human she once was. Alice's flashbacks showed there was so much joy inside Isabella when they were human, only a fragment of that remained inside of Bella today.

"Promise me you won't die, please Alice." Bella's face was centimeters away from Alice's, inspecting her facial expression closely. It looked as though Bella wanted to cry, and Alice was sure that if they were capable of shedding tears, both their faces would be covered in them.

"I promise Bella." Alice said in a whisper, afraid of what would happen if she did indeed die during the fight. She couldn't leave Bella behind, not this time.

_Later that evening…_

After Alice had spent the last couple of hours trying to comfort Bella, the two of them eventually made their way back to the Cullen household. The drive back to her house was quiet; Bella was absolutely silent, not even inhaling. She had been a statue of pain ever since realization hit her that she wasn't going to escape this time.

Alice wasn't sure what else she could do to help Bella feel better about the situation. It was actually a good thing that Bella told her about James and Victoria, now they knew what was coming. If Bella had remained quiet about her past, they would be an easy target. At least now they were expecting it.

They pulled into the Cullens driveway and Alice stopped in front of the door, not caring to park in the garage this time. She opened her door, and turned to look at Bella who didn't move. After a few more seconds of staring, Bella moved toward the door and opened it slowly.

The front door opened to the Cullen house with Emmett standing and watching. None of the Cullens, except Edward, were aware of what they knew; Alice had been too busy catering to Bella that she hadn't called her family.

"Where have you been? The meeting was scheduled an hour ago." Emmett questioned, with Rosalie fast approaching his side. He looked at the state of Bella's face, and turned to Alice, confused, "What happened?"

Alice didn't respond, instead she walked over to the dining room table with Bella's hand in her own, leading her to a chair at the end of the table, and sat her down. "We have news, and it's not good." Alice said quietly.

It didn't take long before the rest of the Cullen clan appeared from their usual hiding spots in the house and took their seats next to Bella and Alice. Alice stared at all of them, the only one who knew was Edward, and he looked just as grim as Alice.

"They've been watching us. The Quileute's have chased Victoria off their land on several occasions, but she keeps coming back. That's how she's been getting around my visions; I can't see her because she watches from their territory, which is dangerously close to our land." Alice finally took a seat next to Bella, and took hold of her hand once more.

"How long have they been watching?" Carlisle questioned, casting a quick glance at Esme, before returning his attention to Alice.

"I'm not sure how long, but I don't think they're going to keep spying on us for long. They have had the advantage on us for a while; it's not going to be long before they attack. We're not going to have to worry about us trying to find them; they're going to come straight to us."

None of the Cullens looked eager to hear the news; they weren't used to being taken off guard. How could none of them have seen this coming?

"They're using the shape shifters to their advantage. I'm sure they've done their research on all of us, and know what all our advantages are, especially you Alice, since you're the one they want the most." Jasper commented.

Bella started to move once more, finally coming out of her thoughts, and into the present. "What can we do to stop them? We're helpless." She muttered.

"We're far from helpless, Bella. We have friends from all over the world that can help us. What you don't know about us is that when one of us is in trouble, we stick together and fight as a team. There are more of us than you think." Carlisle tried to reassure Bella that it wasn't as bad as it seemed.

"We're going to fight, and fight our best. We will get through this together as a family." Esme added.

"Jacob has offered for his pack to help us out too. It'll be to our advantage, especially if they're coming through their land to get to us." Alice said.

"Do you really want help from the mutts?" Rosalie scoffed.

"I think we're going to need as much help as we can get, and we're going to need it as soon as possible." Edward said.

"It's time to wipe the dust off our address book and start calling everyone we know." Carlisle said, as he got up from his position to do the very thing he was talking about.

"It looks like theirs going to be an all-out brawl!" Emmett shouted, causing everyone to look at him with questionable glances.

Bella looked mortified as she stared at Emmett, she couldn't believe how eager he was to get in the face of death. Alice glared at Emmett, who just looked on sheepishly. He couldn't hold in his excitement, Emmett was always the one to love a good old fashioned brawl.

"How can you be excited about this? We could all die." Bella finally spoke clearly.

"Sounds like someone needs to learn how to fight. Have you ever actually been in a fight with another vampire? It's really exhilarating." Emmett smiled.

Bella shook her head, and watched from the corner of her eye as Esme got up from the table to join her husband in making phone calls. Danielle and Jasper whispered quietly to one another on the other end of the table, while the rest of the group was focused on her.

"Well, you're going to learn how to fight. We'll teach you the Cullen method." Emmett winked, and Rosalie laughed.

Edward cracked a smile and added, "We're working on getting it trademarked."

Alice let out a little chuckle, but soon stopped when she realized Bella wasn't laughing.

"I don't believe how any of you can take this so lightly. You're all so arrogant you don't see what's out there waiting to destroy us!" Bella raised her voice for the first time in…ever.

Rosalie raised her eyebrows, and Emmett just smiled. "We're only arrogant because we always win. Nothing can stop me, I love the fight. I enjoy ripping the head off of any vampire that comes my way, and I smile proudly while I set their body on fire. I can't get enough of it, I desire conflict. I say bring it on, and I'll personally show you why we're all so cocky about our abilities." Emmett challenged, loving where this conversation was going.

"You'll learn to be just like us, Bella. If you're going to be a Cullen, you have to fight." Rosalie added.

Bella's eyes roamed the smiling faces of the vampires that surrounded her; she was never faced with such confidence before. She felt like she was surrounded by a bunch of insane people. They were all cocky, and sure of themselves. It wasn't just Alice. Now Bella knew where she learned it from.

"Do I have a choice to opt out of the Cullen method?" Bella asked sarcastically.

"No, it's mandatory. Besides, you'll be a much better fighter in the end, and we'll be that much closer to getting past Victoria and James. That means more time for you and me." Alice winked, trying to make light of the situation.

Bella pouted, she was being thrown into this without much of her own thought, "Do you promise?" She looked toward Alice with puppy dog eyes.

Alice smiled, and forgot that anyone else was watching. It was easy to get lost in Bella's eyes, "I swear it. There's a lot more life for us yet, Isabella. We're only just beginning." Her face was inches away from Bella's, preparing to kiss her once more.

The rest of the Cullens chose to ignore their intimate moment. Danielle stopped speaking to Jasper momentarily as she watched the smile grow on Alice's face. She had never seen her smile like that when they were together. Edward chose to look in the other direction; this was a time where he wished he could turn off his ability to hear what people were thinking. Emmett stared with a goofy smile on his face, waiting for them to kiss, but was elbowed in the gut by Rosalie who made him look away.

Alice's sparkling gold eyes and a smile was all Bella needed to see to feel a small ounce of hope return to her. There was nothing but love and peace in her eyes; she could escape all her worries with just one glance. Bella's lips began to turn upward and into a smile. Slowly she bared her teeth, and the smile moved to her eyes.

"When do I start learning how to fight?" Bella asked, never taking her eyes away from Alice.

"Right now." Emmett chimed in, and the smile that took so long to appear on Bella's face, vanished in an instant.

"Great" Bella uttered.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading/reviewing everyone, it means a lot. Next Chapter Preview: The way of the Cullen Method.**


	17. Chapter 17

When Bella thought she was going to learn how to fight, she figured it would be inside the Cullen mansion, in some room tucked in the corner of the house, safe from any onlookers. What she didn't realize is that Emmett meant she would learn outside, at night, in the middle of a downpour.

Emmett stepped outside in the rain, a smile spread across his face as the drops began to fall against his head. "This is what I'm talking about! There's never a better time to learn how to fight than in the middle of a storm."

Bella stood in the Cullen household, rooted to the nice, dry floor. She didn't want to get wet; she didn't want to fight at all. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she watched flood lights appear over the backyard, illuminating the backyard and all the rain drops that fell from the sky.

"Don't you think someone will see us?" Bella offered as a weak defense.

Rosalie brushed passed Bella with an umbrella in hand, ready to watch the madness that was about to occur. "I doubt anyone will be watching us at midnight, in the middle of nowhere. You have nothing to worry about." She offered with an evil little smile.

The umbrella in her hand popped open and she moved closer to Emmett. An awning was currently being lowered over the porch by Edward and Jasper, so the onlookers could remain dry.

Bella looked around for any kind of support, or for any way out of this situation. Alice stared at her from behind, eager to see what moves Bella had to offer. Bella had caught her eye and gave her a worried glance.

"It's okay Bella; just show them what you got. It's time to release the rage I know is inside you." Alice moved closer toward Bella, and whispered in her ear, "If you have as much frustration built up inside of you like you did when we made love, then I'm sure you'll take out anyone who dares to come close to you."

This caused Bella to smile momentarily, and watched as Alice also made her way outside. She took a seat on one of the lawn chairs, under the safety of the awning, and moved her head back to look at Bella who was still standing inside the house. "Are you coming?"

Without speaking, Bella walked out onto the porch like she was in a trance by Alice's words. She looked out on the yard, where Emmett was stretching out his limbs, not that he even needed too. Rosalie stood a few feet away from him, watching in awe as her husband flexed his muscles.

"Why do I have to go against Emmett?" Bella asked as she removed her jacket and handed it to Alice. She didn't want to wear any clothing that would hinder her of moving swiftly.

"Because we have to prepare you for the hardest fighters out there, newborns. Emmett is strong, but when you go against a newborn, even Emmett couldn't handle it. We need to train you with the best fighter we have so you'll at least have a clue about what it's like to fight newborns." Edward's voice came from behind.

She turned around, and was faced with the rest of the Cullen children, watching and waiting for her to show them what she was made of. An audience made her feel a bit uncomfortable, and Jasper picked up on it right away.

An eerie calm came over Bella, as she stepped down onto the grass, and began walking toward Emmett. Her head turned back to Alice, who was smiling proudly back at her. There was a hint of worry in Alice's eyes, she had no idea what Bella's fighting abilities were like. Emmett was likely to hurt her.

The rain had slowed down to a regular downpour at this point, but the second Bella stepped out from under the awning, she was immediately drenched. She closed her eyes and felt the cool drops of the rain pound lightly against her face. Bella had been covered in rain most of her life, she lived in heavily wooded areas for most of her vampire existence, often not having a place to call home. It's not that Bella didn't like being in the rain, but the thought of having a roof over her head for once made her want to stay dry.

Bella inhaled, taking in the smell of the rain and forest surrounding her, and exhaled slowly. Jasper's calming emotion had made her relaxed; she felt there was nothing to worry about. This was only training, it's not like Emmett was really going to try to hurt her…

"Are you ready, Bella?" Emmett shouted from a distance of a few feet.

She had nodded her head, unsure of what else to do except wait for instructions on how to fight the proper way. Emmett didn't say a word.

Bella wasn't expecting Emmett to come charging at her the second she nodded her head, so she was shocked when she saw him running directly at her. She didn't know how to react, the calm she felt just seconds ago vanished. Her reflexes didn't help make it out of the way of Emmett's hurdling body, and he managed to hit her right shoulder, causing her to fly up in the air about ten feet, only to have her come crashing back down right into the mud.

Bella had face planted right into the mud, her body unmoving for the first few seconds. She wasn't expecting that…at all.

"Bella!" She heard Alice's voice shout from nearby.

Emmett's voice boomed over Alice's as he said, "She's alright. You weren't expecting that now were you, Bella?" He chuckled, amused at the sight before him.

Bella finally moved, she lifted her head out of the mud and raised her body from off the ground. This had made Bella upset, she didn't like being knocked down so fast. She didn't like being humiliated in front of the entire Cullen household, especially Alice. No, she didn't like it at all.

"What the _hell _was that?" Bella shouted. Anger quickly began to rise inside of her. Mud dripped slowly off her face, as she moved her hand to try and wipe it off.

"It's called fighting. You need to learn to be quick with your reflexes, expect the unexpected. There are no set rules when it comes to fighting." Emmett said from across the yard.

Bella's hair was drenched; mud clung to her body as she made herself get back up off her knees. Her eyes moved back to the porch, where Alice was now standing and watching to see what she was going to do. She could only see the silhouette of Alice's body standing there; she didn't get to see what her face looked like or know what she was feeling.

"Okay Bella, now I want you to learn from your mistake. I'm going to come at you again, and this time, try to fight me off." Emmett's voice boomed once more.

Bella nodded her head and said a quick, "Okay" before she watched Emmett come running back for her.

This time she was ready for him, she was going to do her best to steer him away from her. Emmett's body was a couple of feet away from her when she reached out her hands in order to stop him in her tracks. She felt little resistance from him as he crashed into her arms, and ran her body into the trunk of a tree.

She couldn't help but let out a yell when her body hit the tree, it was more of a yell from shock than from pain. Though Bella felt her insides begin to crack when the force of Emmett collided with the back of the tree. She was in a sandwich between the tree and Emmett, the pressure was too much. The tree cracked, and Emmett let go of Bella, who slid down to the ground, and rested against the trunk of the tree for a few seconds.

Bella looked down at her body, frantically searching for any damage that had been done, but there was none. She swished the clinging hair off her face, and stood back up slowly. How was she supposed to fight someone who wouldn't give her a head start?

"You're going to hurt her, Emmett!" Alice's voice echoed over the yard. She took a few steps off the porch, and was standing in the rain.

"She needs to learn Alice. How do you expect her to be prepared if we go easy on her?" Emmett shouted back, and Danielle tried to pull Alice back to the porch.

"Don't you remember how hard it was for you?" Danielle asked, and made Alice sit back down on the chair.

Alice glared at Danielle, who ignored the look. "You know it's true." She added.

Bella was gripping what remained of the tree trunk, trying to figure out what she was going to do to get Emmett down on the ground. He was strong, and she wasn't prepared. The thought of being the weak one made Bella mad; she didn't want to be this weak vampire anymore. She was tired of it; she didn't want to be a shell of a vampire anymore.

She wasn't going to be weak anymore. All those years of holding in her emotions finally began to seep out right at this moment. Bella clinched her hands as she thought of all those years of pain and anger, and pushed herself off the tree trunk in order to face Emmett again.

Emmett looked at her with a smile, "Coming back for more so soon?"

"Are you going to actually teach me something, or is just a reason to impress your wife with how many times you can knock me down?" Bella said coldly.

The smile disappeared from Emmett's face, "Are you expecting me to just lecture you on how to fight? That's not going to get anything done. No, you need to learn hands on skills. It's not my fault you can't knock me down."

She raised her hand, and beckoned him toward her. "Try it again."

With that said, Emmett lunged at Bella with all his might. This time he jumped at her and came down for an air attack, but Bella was quick on her reflexes this time, and she moved out of the way as he flew back down to the ground and did a belly flop into a mud puddle. Bella smiled for a brief second at her mini accomplishment, but that soon vanished when Emmett began swinging at her, trying to grab hold of her neck. She knew exactly what he was trying to do, once he got hold of her neck, she knew that meant game over for most vampires.

Bella ducked, and tried to avoid every hit and Emmett threw at her. She had been successful at avoiding his throws and grabs, but she hadn't thrown any herself. It was at this moment where Bella swung her fist right at Emmett's face as hard as she could, and made contact with his cheek. She felt as if she just hit a brick wall, and Emmett froze in his tracks, honestly surprised by the blow.

She looked at Emmett's face from the blow, and saw a small crack on the side of his cheek. Knowing that she had done this, made her feel empowered. He was holding his cheek, and a small smile formed across his lips.

Bella looked back up to the porch to see what everyone's reactions were, and all she saw was dark silhouettes all standing at the edge of the porch. Suddenly she heard laughing, and then a shout of joy that sounded a lot like Alice's voice broke the silence.

Emmett stared at Bella, and realized that she wasn't watching him anymore. Quickly he pulled her in his grasp, and wrapped his strong hands around her neck, but right before he snapped, he let her go. "Never take your eyes off the enemy." Emmett whispered.

"Are you okay baby?" Rosalie asked.

He nodded his head with a smile, "I'm doing great. I see Bella has caught on fairly quick."

"Yay Bella!" Alice shouted with a laugh.

She couldn't help but feel pride when Alice shouted her name. Bella had actually done it; even she was surprised that she got that far. Maybe fighting wasn't going to be impossible after all.

Before she had a chance to register what was going on, Emmett's body was crushing into her once again, knocking her on the ground like everything that she had just done didn't matter. He was harder on her this time; Bella felt it when he made contact. She sank into the earth with Emmett's body on top of hers.

Bella felt an immense pressure in her core and thighs. She knew some kind of damage had been done that time, she was almost too afraid to look. Emmett's huge body sat up, and moved off of her after a few seconds. Bella remained on the ground, unwilling to move, unsure if everything was intact.

"I told you to never take your eyes off the enemy. You always have to be prepared for them, because you never know when they're going to strike next." Emmett was standing over her body, and drops of rain that fell on his face slid down, and gently poured on Bella's body. He didn't offer to help her up, or ask if she was okay, he just stared at her and walked away.

Her legs were still intact because she was able to move them, but it felt as if she had been smashed by an anvil. Bella rolled to her side, trying to get her body back to normal. She held her stomach tightly, and let out a cry of pain like she was holding all of her guts inside, waiting for her stomach to heal. As she lay in the mud, humiliated in front of everyone, Bella started thinking once again about how unfair this was.

"Come on Bella, get up." Emmett said calmly. He was by the porch, having Rosalie check the crack on his cheek.

_What right does he have to attack me like this? I'm tired of being pushed around; I don't want be knocked down anymore. This isn't learning; this is torture. Why does it have to be me? Why can't I be stronger? Why can't I kick all their arrogant asses and show them that they aren't as incredible as they all think they are? _Bella's mind was racing, with each new thought she grew angrier. She didn't want to do this, she wanted to get it over with, but she also wanted to show them that she could be better than them. Having the last name Cullen didn't give them any special abilities. They were just like her, and could be broken.

Bella looked back to the porch, and noticed that Alice hadn't come to her aid. Rosalie was busy looking at Emmett's scratch and treating it like the worst thing in the world, while Bella was lying alone in the mud, waiting for her body to reshape itself after the bulldozer Emmett had crushed her. A plan had begun to form in Bella's mind, while they were all distracted, she was going to make her move. She wasn't going to play the _Lets hurt Bella _game anymore.

_Why can't you come help me? _Bella thought, taking another look at Alice before she began to move.

"I don't like what you're doing Emmett. It's not right, please stop hurting her." Alice said, watching Bella struggle to move from her position on the ground.

Emmett chuckled, "I don't think I need to go easy on her, did you see what she did to my face? She has a fighter inside her, after all."

"She isn't happy." Jasper made the understatement of the year. He felt Bella's anger rising as the seconds passed.

"Can't I just go see how she is?" Alice asked.

"If you go out there, you're just going to show her that she needs help. She can do this on her own; you might not always be there to help her." Emmett replied.

"Well I'm sorry, but why don't you go look in the mirror? You have Rosalie taking care of your baby scratch, while Bella could have a crushed body, and you just leave her lying in the mud?" Alice's voice began to rise.

Rosalie glared at Alice, who glared right back at her, "This isn't fair for Bella."

The Cullens were so busy arguing with each other, that they didn't notice Bella finally sitting up from her position on the ground. They didn't notice her disappear behind the trees either.

"Since when is a fight ever fair?" Emmett rebutted.

"Come on Emmett, you have to admit you're being a little hard on her." Edward chimed in.

Emmett frowned for the first time that night; he didn't think he was being unfair at all. That's what it's going to be like; no one gives handicaps to people who aren't used to fighting, why should Bella be an exception? He wasn't going to take it easy on someone just because she happened to be Alice's girlfriend. That should give him more reason to be tough on her; Bella will know how to hold her own ground.

"What do you want me to do? Baby her, and when they come to destroy us all, she can be the first to die?" Emmett said sarcastically.

"No one's going to die." Alice said as a matter of fact, hoping that Bella didn't hear that. Her eyes searched the yard for Bella, but she wasn't there. Confusion spread across her face as her eyes roamed the rest of the yard with no sign of Bella. No one else seemed to notice her disappearance.

At first Alice thought she had run off into the forest in order to get away from Emmett, but that thought soon faded when she saw a flash of white cross her line of vision. The flash was so quick; she didn't realize what it was at first. Whatever it had been; decided to take Emmett in its passing.

A loud growl could be heard when it came in contact with Emmett. Everyone who was watching ran out into the yard to see what exactly had happened. About fifty feet from where Emmett was just standing, was some sort of commotion. It was moving too fast for even the Cullens to see properly. Alice ran as fast as she could to get whatever it was off Emmett, fear overwhelming her senses. For a moment she had thought it was Victoria or James coming to attack.

_Did they take Bella? _With that thought in mind, Alice booked it towards Emmett as fast as she could.

"Emmett!" Rosalie's voice shouted as she ran closer toward her husband.

Once Emmett was clearly in their line of sight, they stopped just a few feet before him, and were stunned by what they saw. Bella had Emmett in a head lock like she was a professional wrestler, and it looked like she was getting ready to rip his head off. Emmett's body and face were covered in cracks that resembled the shape of fists, and it looked as if his forearm was hanging off his arm only by a thread. The anger in Bella's eyes clearly showed, and her muscles that no one had ever seen before gleamed against the pouring rain.

"Get her off of me." Emmett's voice came out raspy, his voice box getting crushed by the second.

Rosalie took a protective step forward, but Bella immediately pulled back. She had Emmett in a tight lock, where he wasn't able to move any of his limbs. Bella wasn't going to let go of Emmett without a fight.

Rosalie looked to Alice, and then to the others who were all standing in shock. "Do something, Alice. She's going to tear his head off!"

Alice stared at Bella for a few minutes, knowing Bella really wasn't going to hurt Emmett, but she was still shocked by her violent reaction. "Come on Bella, let him go. You don't have to fight anymore tonight."

Bella glared at Alice with wild eyes. Alice saw the anger behind those eyes clearly, and knew whatever she had been holding inside all those years, had only just begun to seep out. Her eyes went down to Bella's soaking wet clothes, and had to admit that this turned her on to an extent. The mixture of fear and surprise made for an odd combination of lust.

"Don't you see? Not a single one of you is safe! If someone like me can get you in this position like this, you wouldn't have a chance." Bella growled, first looking at everyone watching, and then focusing her attention on Emmett specifically.

"Just let me go Bella. You're going to hurt me if you don't calm down." Emmett replied.

Bella looked around once more, and realized what she was doing. She was seriously considering pulling the head off of Emmett a few seconds ago; her anger got the best of her this time. She loosened her hold on Emmett, and finally let him go completely.

In order to maintain his pride, Emmett got up off the ground calmly, and walked over to Rosalie who was waiting to check out the damage.

"You were the one that crushed my body like it was nothing just a few seconds ago. How do you like the taste of your own medicine, you arrogant bimbo?" Bella's voice growled.

Everyone's eyebrows rose in unison, and if Bella weren't so pissed off, it would've been funny. No one had expected her to be able to fight back, and that's what was fueling her anger the most right now. Awkward silence fell over the small crowd as the rain continued to beat down upon all of them.

"None of you expected that from me, did you? You all thought I was just going to be pounded to a pulp by Emmett and I wasn't going to do anything about it, didn't you? This should be a lesson to all of you to get your heads out of your asses, because you're not all superheroes. If someone like me, who you all thought was weak, could take down Emmett and be that close to taking his head off, then you all really need to rethink your so called Cullen Method." Bella said, looking at each and every one of them. She was too angry to think about what she was saying to them, normally she would've kept it all inside, but she couldn't do it anymore, she couldn't hold it in.

No one said a word. She had rendered all of them speechless, a feat not easily accomplished. No one really knew what to say to her, partially because she was right, and partially because they felt bad about underestimating her.

Bella stood there in the rain, allowing the rain to wash off parts of her mud soaked body. For the first time since she met the Cullens, she felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She had spoken only a small amount of what she was truly thinking, and it did wonders for her well-being.

"It seems the beast has been unleashed." Edward said quietly, finally breaking the silence.

Bella stared at Edward with a blank expression, and never said a word to him. There was nothing she could say to that, perhaps he was right.

"Why did you all come running out here like I was about to kill him? I was crumpled in a pile on the ground just a few minutes ago because of Emmett, and no one came to see how I was, but the second Emmett gets knocked down, you all come rushing to his aid. Can you see what's wrong with this picture?" Bella motioned to everyone standing in front of her.

"Bella, I thought you were Victoria. I didn't know it was you until I got over here." Alice tried to explain.

She tilted her head slightly, and looked at Alice with an odd expression, "Because you didn't think I was going to get back up, am I right?"

Alice didn't say anything, Bella was right. Alice didn't think Bella was going to get up and fight again. She hadn't seen the fighter beneath Bella's exterior, she had just seen the broken, and weak version of Bella.

Everyone just stood there silently as the rain continued to fall on everyone except Rosalie, who had brought the umbrella along with her to protect her hair. No one knew what to say, and Bella was staring at them like she was waiting for them to speak.

Bella began to shake her head, "You all need to know something. Just because I _choose _not to fight, and decide to stay away from conflict, doesn't mean I am weak. You all assumed I was some weak and cowardly vampire who needed to toughen up. None of you know the hell I've been through, you know nothing about me. All you saw was someone who doesn't enjoy fighting, and you automatically assumed I was weak. You're all so smart, and know how to handle yourselves, but look at what just happened. You thought you were going to show me your impenetrable _Cullen Method_. I may not be as tough or as strong as Emmett, but I sure as hell caught him off guard. I don't have to be a good fighter to understand tactics, expect the unexpected, remember? It's not always about being stronger; any smart person can knock over a brute, just like David did to Goliath."

"I'm sorry Bella; none of us should have judged you like that." Alice offered as a weak apology.

With anger still flowing through her veins, Bella started walking back toward the mansion. She pushed passed the Cullens, her eyes lingering on Alice as she passed. "I need to wash this mud off." She said in passing.

Alice turned on her heel and followed, leaving the rest of her family just standing there, watching the two of them leave.

"Well that was fun." Danielle said sarcastically, before she and Jasper began heading back to the house too.

Edward looked toward Rosalie, who was holding Emmett close like a big teddy bear. Emmett's eyes followed Bella with a certain gleam in his eyes, "I like her." He said with a smile.

"Bella, you can use my shower. I'll let you borrow some of my clothes." Alice caught up with Bella, and was walking with her back to the house.

She didn't respond verbally, but Bella allowed Alice to take the lead and show her where the shower was. They came in through the backdoor, and were met with the shocked faces of Esme and Carlisle, who were sitting at the dining room table looking through their address book.

"What happened?" Esme's voice came out soft and worried.

"Emmett happened." Alice offered a quick explanation, and headed toward the stairs with Bella right behind her.

She didn't want to track mud in the house, so while Bella was boiling over with anger, she also watched her step and made sure not to ruin their floor with her dirty feet. Up the stairs the girls went, and Alice led her toward her room. Alice opened her bedroom door, and let Bella inside, then closed it slowly behind her. She made sure to lock it so they could have their privacy.

"The bathroom is right through the door." Alice gestured to the only other door in the room, it was obvious where the bathroom was, but she didn't know what else to say. Alice was leaning against her bedroom door, watching closely to see what Bella was going to do. She had to admit, watching Bella get down and dirty, and then surprising her by knocking down her brother Emmett, had made Alice hot and bothered.

Without much thought to where Alice was, Bella peeled off the camisole she was wearing, and carried it with her as she made her way to the bathroom. Right before she was about to close the door to the bathroom, she turned around and saw how Alice was positioned against the door. The look of lust was in her eyes as she stared directly at Bella.

A smirk crossed Bella's lips as she stared back at Alice. Suddenly her anger had been channeled to a new emotion. Even after what just happened, she couldn't help but melt over Alice. Bella didn't say anything, but instead of closing the bathroom door, she left it open and walked further into the bathroom. Alice stared at the doorway for a moment wondering what Bella was doing, when she saw the remaining articles of clothing Bella had drop on the floor in front of the door. Bella had given Alice an open invitation, it was her choice to take it or leave it.

It didn't take much thought for Alice to push herself off the door, and storm into the bathroom to an awaiting Bella….

_Later that night_

Bella's anger had subsided as the night faded into early morning. She was sitting on Alice's bed, wearing some girly ensemble Alice gave her to wear while her clothes were being washed. She stared at the door, deep in thought about what happened earlier that night. She felt bad for hurting Emmett and reacting like she had, but also felt it was necessary to show them that she wasn't as weak as they all assumed.

At that moment, Alice came walking through the bedroom door with a small smile on her face, and made her way toward Bella.

"Is he okay?" Bella asked quietly.

Alice plopped down beside Bella and nodded her head, "You almost took part of his arm off, but he is healing just fine. Emmett told me to tell you that he is proud of you, and that he's sorry for being so rough."

Bella nodded her head in silence. She looked at Alice, who was smiling and staring right back at her. Alice noticed the odd expression on Bella's face and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Do you really think I'm weak?" Bella finally asked.

Alice was quiet at first, her smile slowly fading off her face as she realized that Emmett wasn't the only one that hurt her, "No Bella, I just didn't know if you could fight or not. You never let me in or tell me anything about your past, how am I supposed to know what you're capable of?"

Bella could understand where Alice was coming from, "I'm sorry. There's just a lot of stuff that I don't want to relive. I know how to fight Alice, maybe I just don't want to. I'm not like Emmett where it feels good to hurt another being."

"I don't like it either. I remember the first time I fought with Emmett; he was really rough on me. That's just how Emmett is though; he gets bored very easily so whenever something remotely interesting happens, he goes overboard." Alice's hand moved to Bella's leg in attempt to comfort her.

"I just find it funny that you all are trying to prepare me to fight someone none of you have come into contact with, when I have. How do you think I got away from them to begin with?" There was a hint of some sort of emotion behind Bella's last sentence, but Alice couldn't quite pick up on what it was.

"Maybe you should be the one teaching us." Alice commented.

_What exactly did Bella do to them?_ The thought lingered in the back of Alice's mind for quite some time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It seems Bella has some secrets she hasn't told anyone, I wonder they could be? **

**On a side note, the reason I haven't had any explicit content on this story that some of you seem to want, is because one of my other stories has in fact been deleted for that very reason. It's not a rumor, I wouldn't be surprised if my other stories vanished too. I'm just trying to save this story from being deleted.  
><strong>


	18. Chapter 18

The weeks had passed, and there was no sign of James or Victoria yet. Still, the Cullens prepared along with Bella, every day. They practiced fighting, they strategized, they called friends from far away for support…everyone was prepared for a battle. The only thing was; there a single sign of a threat. Bella had begun to hope that there wasn't a newborn coven waiting to attack, and maybe it was all just a rumor. All was quiet in the Cullen's neck of the woods until one sunny afternoon; Jacob Black's pack had caught someone on their territory.

Bella had been enjoying her time in the company of Alice. Things had settled down between them for once, and it actually felt like they were progressing in their relationship. Alice's ego had come down quite a bit the more she learned about Bella. She was able to teach the Cullens moves they had never seen before; even Carlisle was fascinated by some of the things she was showing them. They had all gotten along fine, but in the back of their minds, they were waiting.

Carlisle had managed to persuade some of his friends from around the world to come aid them in battle. All they needed was one word from Carlisle, and they would be there in an instant. Bella had wondered just how many vampires Carlisle had known, and if she had ever come across any of them in her travels. One particular coven stuck out in her mind, a small coven she lived with in Ireland for a brief moment in time.

It was a sunny day when Carlisle's phone rang with Jacob Black on the other side. Jacob only ever made contact with the Cullens if there was an emergency, so this phone call was of utmost importance. Bella was currently staring out of Alice's bedroom window, admiring the rare sight of the sun and wished that she could go for an afternoon drive. Then she got to thinking that if she covered herself up, it would be possible. With a smile on her face, she turned her head toward Alice, who was sitting on the bed humming while she looked through the latest style magazine.

Bella eyed the magazine for a second, and cringed at what Alice was thinking of buying next. Alice could've worn a paper sack, and Bella would've still found her sexy. Though she had to admit, some of the things Alice wore were very appealing to the eye. However, Bella appreciated Alice's clothes the most when they've been tossed on the floor. The thought that lingered in Bella's mind only made her smile wider.

The peace of the situation she was currently in made Bella relax, probably more than she ever had been able to in the past. This was the way it was supposed to be, just her and Alice together, with nothing or no one else getting in the way. The sun was shining, and all was well with the world. All this peace made her wonder, just how long would it take before the Cullens got back in their battle mode again?

"Alice?" Bella questioned quietly.

"Yes, Bella?" Alice continued to hum, and looked up from her magazine to stare at her lovely girlfriend.

"I was thinking…after this whole James and Victoria mess is over, that maybe you and I could…"

_Knock knock knock _Alice's door echoed loudly through the room, interrupting whatever it was Bella was going to say.

Alice didn't have time to respond to whoever it was at the door, because it was already opening. Rosalie was at the door, and her face showed that she didn't really want to see what might have been going on between the girls. She had her hand half-heartedly covering her eyes, and a joking smile to go with it.

"Do you not know how to wait for me to respond?" Alice said sarcastically, closing the magazine in front of her. She looked to Bella apologetically, who in return shrugged her shoulders. There wasn't much privacy with eight other people living in the house.

"I can just tell you later. I want to ask you in private." Bella replied to Alice's concern.

Alice's eyebrows rose slightly in curiosity, wondering just what it was that she wanted to ask. She really wished Rosalie hadn't come barging in like that; it seemed they could never get true privacy from her family. The only chance for privacy would be for Alice to move in with Bella, and the thought was rather appealing at the moment.

"I hate to interrupt whatever it was that you two were doing, but Carlisle has important news. We're having a family meeting in ten minutes." Rosalie seemed to be completely oblivious to the glare Bella was giving Rosalie. Either she was too ignorant to look, or she was afraid to. After Bella had injured Emmett, the Cullens seemed to give her the space she needed. Bella felt she was given a lot more respect than before.

"Is that the latest style magazine? Can I borrow it when you're finished?" Rosalie eyes focused on the pages of the magazine. That seemed to be the only thing of importance to her.

"Yeah, we'll be down in a minute Rose." Alice walked toward the door, and slammed it in Rosalie's face.

Alice turned to Bella with a smile on her face, "Can you believe her sometimes?"

"I can hardly believe any of you. You're all insane in your own special way." Bella remarked.

Alice shrugged her shoulders, and moved back to the magazine, tearing out a page, and placing it in her pocket. She was sure to not let Bella see what was on the page.

"What do you think the meeting is about?" Bella wondered. She had to tear her eyes away from the beautiful sun once more. Whatever news it was, couldn't be good.

"Why don't you go down there so we can find out? I just need to take care of something real quick and I'll be right down." Alice suggested.

The brunette looked at her questioningly, but nevertheless sat up to go downstairs. Alice just smiled sweetly and watched as Bella made her way to the door. Once the door shut behind her, Alice took out the magazine page she had torn out, and started dialing a number on her phone. A small smile spread across Alice's face as she thought about what she was about to order. Bella would certainly be surprised. She thought she was only looking at clothes this entire time. If only Bella had looked more closely, she would have seen her looking at the jewelry section of the magazine.

…

"The Quileute's have captured someone." Carlisle's voice was calm and steady.

"Who?" Bella was the first to ask. Everyone except Alice was sitting at the dining room table. They decided to start without her.

"We're unsure of whom exactly it is, but we know it's a newborn. His pack is bringing the newborn to our house as we speak. They should be here shortly."

Bella felt herself become nervous, if she wasn't so guarded, Jasper probably would've been able to calm her nerves. She was blocking his abilities from affecting her, she didn't want her emotions masked.

The room filled with silence, and Bella turned her attention to the fading sun outside. The clouds had rolled in as quickly as they had gone away. Peace had taken its absence once more, and only left gloom and turmoil behind.

Alice came downstairs in that moment, and took her seat quietly next to Bella. She already knew what was happening; she heard what Carlisle said on her way down the stairs. Her gaze fell on Bella, and tried her best to comfort her girlfriend. A hand was placed on her back, and rubbed slow circles up and down Bella's spine. The brunette turned her attention toward the pixie, and she gave a weak smile.

Only a few seconds passed before the Cullens and Bella heard a ruckus coming from outside. At first they heard mumbles, that turned into shouts, and finally growling. Carlisle moved toward the back door first, and the rest of the Cullens got out of their seat to see who was outside. Bella pushed aside Edward and Jasper to see what was going on past them. They all looked like a bunch of antsy children, waiting to see who this newborn was.

Jacob Black and a few of his pack mates emerged from the thick forest, and were carrying what seemed like an ordinary person. Bella didn't see the blood red eyes until they came closer. Carlisle opened the back door, and motioned for his family to move out of the way. The foul odor of dog crossed all their senses, but that didn't seem to matter at the moment. The male newborn was trying the best he could to get out of the grasp of Jacob and his pack, but it wasn't working. Their grip on him was excruciatingly tight.

They entered the house quickly, and Bella noticed that there were a large amount of bite marks on this newborn. They weren't wolf size; they appeared human. Bella's face had a look of horror upon it when she realized what it meant, more than a few vampires had fed on this newborn. It was almost as if he was ambushed by several vampires. Her eyes flickered to Jasper, who shared the same look Bella was wearing.

"Do you see the bite marks on him?" Bella whispered to Alice.

Alice only nodded her head, for she knew what it meant as well. Her arm instinctively moved across Bella's shoulder's as she pulled her closer to her side.

Carlisle, Emmett, and Edward assisted Jacob and his pack as they forced the newborn down in a chair, and attempted to restrain his limbs, but they all knew it would almost be impossible to keep him down without a fight. Bella saw the rage in the newborns face as they made eye contact. For a moment, the newborn's eyes widened, as if he knew who she was.

"If you try to run, we won't hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?" Carlisle leaned down, and faced the newborn calmly.

The newborn nodded his head, some of the rage disappearing from his face. His eyes mainly stayed on Carlisle, but would turn every once in a while and focus in Bella's general direction.

"Good. Now what's your name?" Carlisle asked.

Jacob, unsure of what to do with himself now, moved in Bella's direction and his pack followed. She was the only one he felt comfortable with at the moment. He positioned himself slightly in front of Bella, in an attempt to protect her if the newborn did in fact try to make a move. Bella became a bit annoyed once she realized what he was doing, but shrugged it off.

"My name is Matthew." His voice was harsh.

"Matthew, my name is Carlisle, and this is my family. We're the Cullens." Carlisle was trying to be as polite as he could.

"I know all about you already, you don't have to explain to me." His voice was a mix of anger and fear. They could all tell that he didn't want to be there, that he didn't want to be in this situation. It seemed like Matthew was forced into the situation, much like James and Victoria had tried to do to Bella.

"How do you know about us Matthew? Why were you in the Quileute territory?" Carlisle wasn't afraid to cut right to the point.

Matthew was quiet; his face was full of anguish. He wanted to tell them, but he was afraid. His fear was keeping him from saying anything further. Silence filled the room as they all waited for a response from Matthew. Jacob's fists slowly began to clench in anger, and Bella knew that if it were up to him, he would probably just rip his head off and be done with it. Actually, most of the men there seemed like that's how they would handle the situation.

"They can't hurt you Matthew. We can protect you, if you'll just tell us where you came from. We already have an idea who sent you. It was James and Victoria, wasn't it?" Bella's voice came out calm and soothing, before anyone else had the chance to ask him another question.

All eyes focused on Bella as she took a few steps forward, and Matthew got a better view of her. Matthew stared at her in silence, but the look in her eyes had already confirmed her suspicions. She kneeled down in front of Matthew, right next to Carlisle and looked into his blood red eyes. Her eyes scanned his bite marks closely, and then moved part of the cloth that was covering her chest.

Bella showed Matthew a similar scar just above her left breast, and she compared the look of the teeth marks on Matthew's body to her own. There was a distinct teeth mark outline on his body that seemed to match the one above her breast. She knew it was James who had taken part in feeding off him.

"You know who I am, don't you?" Bella's voice was low. She stared directly into Matthew's eyes, crimson meeting golden orbs.

Matthew hesitantly nodded his head, "Isabella…the one who got away, and left her mark."

_Left her mark? _Alice thought.

"And they sent you to spy on me? On us?" Bella asked.

"They sent me here…to spy on the Cullens. They want the girl Mary Alice, but they didn't know about you being here…not until I informed them that there was another, new vampire here." Matthew admitted.

Bella eyes showed a hint of fear, but she quickly tried to cover it up, "How long have you been watching us, Matthew? When did you tell them you saw me?"

"A few weeks ago. Victoria insisted that she come and see who the new vampire was, that's when she confirmed it was you. I'm the one they usually send to watch, because I'm a really fast runner. I'm faster than most vampires, even the other new vampires."

Bella turned away from Matthew and glanced back at Alice, who was mirrored the same expression as Bella. "What's their plan Matthew? Please, tell us. I know you don't want to be their slave, I can tell they've tortured you by the bite marks on your arms. If you tell us, you'll be safe. We'll protect you from them; just tell us what they're planning." She was on the verge of begging.

"We can show you our way of life, we don't feed on humans, only animals. You can even live here with us if you want. Their way of life isn't how it's supposed to be, it can be so much better. We can show you the benefits of being one of us." Carlisle added.

Matthew turned to Carlisle, unsure whether to believe him or not. He seemed too kind to be true. He wasn't sure what to do, he knew exactly what James and Victoria were planning, but would the Cullens really protect them, or throw him out to his death when things became bad? Would the Cullens even stand a chance against James and Victoria? The newborns alone outnumbered the Cullens.

"If you don't have faith in us, then you need not worry. We have friends from around the world that are going to help us obliterate them. Besides, if you don't tell us, I can just read your thoughts and tell them what James and Victoria are planning, and Jacob and his pack can decide what to do with you." Edward said sternly. He stepped forward, reading every single thought and fear that crossed Matthews mind.

Matthew looked as if he was going to be sick, if that was even possible. "You…can read minds?"

Edward nodded his head, "I can tell them everything you just thought. I can tell how scared you are; because you think James and Victoria will win. I know there are more newborns than there are people in this room, and I can already see James and Victoria's plan forming in your head as we speak."

"Edward, don't scare him." Bella turned around to glare at him, but he was actually being helpful.

"Well we can do this the easy way, or we can do it your way and wait on Matthew to say something until it's too late." Edward commented. He was right, if Matthew wasn't going to speak up, Edward could easily just use his ability to their advantage.

Bella turned back to Matthew and tried her best to flash a brilliant smile, and Jasper tried to calm Matthew's nerves. "You don't want to be on their side, do you?" Bella asked calmly.

Matthew frowned, he was trapped. If he didn't tell them, they would just read his mind and throw him to the wolves, but if he told them, he would be saved.

"Do you want me to just tell you what their plan is?" Edward asked, running out of patience for Matthew.

"Just give him a chance Edward. He can change if he wants, just give him a chance." Bella looked up at Edward with pleading eyes. That seemed to make him shut up.

Matthew opened his mouth to speak, and everyone listened to hear what he was going to say. "They're planning an ambush…they want to kill all of you. They plan on torturing you and Mary Alice first. James is really angry with you, Isabella. He thinks it's a gift from the heavens that the two of you are under the same roof, so he has the chance to slaughter the both of you with his bare hands."

All was quiet; no one knew what to say to that. Edward stood there with his arms crossed; he already knew what Matthew was going to say.

"I'm sorry for spying. I was only doing as I was told. I didn't have a choice. They threatened to kill me." Matthew began to sob dryly.

Bella took hold of Matthew's hand, and he flinched. She gripped it tightly, and looked into his eyes once more, "It's okay Matthew, you did the right thing. You're safe with us now. Are you hungry?"

Matthew nodded his head, but said nothing. His head hung from his shoulders, too ashamed to look at Bella anymore. Esme moved toward the kitchen, on her way to fetch some blood they had stored just in case of emergencies.

Alice approached Bella from behind, and Bella stood up by her side, "I'm Mary Alice, but you can call me Alice. It's going to be okay. I promise." She tried her best to comfort the newborn, he was only a kid. They were all newborns once, and should've been able to relate to how he felt.

Matthew looked up at the two girls, and wondered why in the world someone would want to kill them. They were the sweetest vampires he's ever come across.

"How old are you, sweetie?" Esme's voice came from a distance. She was carrying a bag of blood, which Matthew picked up on the scent immediately. His urge was to run straight for the blood, but the girls held him steady in his seat while Esme walked calmly toward them.

Esme poked a small hole in the bag, and handed it to Matthew, who took it as delicately as he could, and drank it immediately. Watching Matthew drink blood from the bag reminded Bella of the time she saw children drinking juice from a pouch with a straw. She had never seen such a thing before, and found the site odd.

"I'm going to call everyone, let them know that it's time to make arrangements to travel to Forks. It looks like we're going to have a full house very soon." Carlisle put on his best face, and smiled at everyone as he excused himself.

Once the bag was drain completely, Matthew responded to Esme's question, "I'm sixteen. They found me wandering around in the forest near my house. I was training to be on my high schools cross country team. Victoria was the one who lured me in. She was so beautiful." Matthew's voice faded slightly as the details of his changing played through his mind.

"Victoria likes to pick on the attractive ones." Bella tried to make a joke, and Matthew smiled weakly in return.

"She told me all about you." Matthew commented.

"Oh, did she?" Bella inquired. How much could Victoria possibly know about her? She wasn't in their presence for very long.

Matthew nodded his head as he searched the bag for just a drop of blood, and looked to Esme when there he discovered there wasn't any. Esme smiled, eager to help the newborn and made her way back toward the kitchen. "Victoria really liked you; she thought you would be a fantastic vampire. I don't think she ever expected you to tear James's…"

"Now Matthew, let's not get too detailed about what happened." Bella cut off Matthew, and shrugged her shoulders like it was nothing. All eyes were on her, and Edward started laughing at Matthews thoughts.

"I misjudged you Bella; I didn't think you were capable of doing something like that." Edward continued to laugh, but respected her privacy.

"What did you do to James, Bella?" Danielle asked, suddenly interested in her past.

Bella opened her mouth to speak, but was too ashamed to say what she did, "I'll tell you at another time, okay? I don't want to talk about it right now."

Danielle chuckled, "Okay Bella, you don't have to tell us now, but you know we'll get it out of you eventually. We're all dying to hear what happened."

"Oh, I'm sure you are. However, my lips are sealed. You better not tell anyone, Edward. I swear I'll make you pay." Bella tried to sound playful, but there was a hint of seriousness in her tone.

Edward's laugh evolved into a knowing smirk, "A gentleman never tells secrets."

"Since when were you ever a gentleman?" Alice joked.

Jacob and his pack all stood there awkwardly, unsure of whether to stay or go. The newborn had trespassed on their territory; he was supposed to suffer the consequences. However, he had helped Bella and the Cullens a great deal, and they promise to keep him safe. Jacob cleared his throat, and looked at his pack mates, mentally telling them it was okay to leave.

"What are you going to do with the blood suck…I mean Matthew." Jacob corrected his mistake.

Esme walked back in the room with a much larger pouch of blood, and handed it to Matthew. They were no longer restraining him, and he made no attempt to leave. Matthew eagerly tore into the pouch of blood, and Jacob chose to look away.

"He'll stay here with us; we will protect him and train him to be like us. You won't have to worry about him feeding off humans, or coming into your territory again." Esme responded.

Jacob looked to Esme, and couldn't help but show a small smile. She was a really sweet woman, despite the fact that she was a blood sucker. "I can't have him, or anyone come on my territory. If anyone comes on my territory again, I won't hesitate to destroy them. You're lucky you're alive, if you can even call it living."

"Don't worry Jake; we're not going to trespass on your land. If anyone else does cross the boundary, they won't be with us. Can we count on you to help us when they come?" Bella asked, trying to sound as sweet and innocent as she could.

"Of course. We can't have vampires running amok, if they're coming for you, they're going to have to fight us too." Jacob smirked, and made his way toward the back door.

Bella followed Jacob outside and into the backyard, calling out his name before he vanished into the forest. "Jacob, wait!"

Jacob spun on his heel as Bella came rushing out to catch him. The rest of his pack had already vanished into the forest. "What is it?" He asked.

Bella didn't stop rushing, and she collided into Jacob's strong arms and hugged him tight. Jacob was unsure how to react at first, his arms awkwardly floating above Bella's body. Eventually his arms wrapped tightly around Bella's body as she whispered into his ear, "I'm so grateful for your help. I'm so sorry for putting you through this."

Jacob pulled his head back to gaze into Bella's golden eyes, "None of this is your fault Bella. We're going to get through this together, in one piece. You're going to move on from this, we both are. I'm going to be in your life until the very end Bella, forever. You may look different from when I first knew you, but you're still the same girl inside. I know that fire deep inside of you will come out when the moment is right, and you'll get through this unscathed."

"I'm just ready to get it over with." Bella sighed.

Jacob nodded his head, "You and me both. I'm not looking forward to dealing with a bunch of unfamiliar vampires hanging around Forks. Do me a favor, and tell your house guests to stay clear of my land. I wouldn't want to mistake them for the enemy."

"I'll let them know…thank you for your help, Jake. I really mean it." Bella tried not to sound too mushy, but she wanted him to know how she felt.

"You're welcome Bella. Now you better get back to your pixie, she looks a tad jealous." Jacob was looking past Bella with a smirk on his face.

Bella turned around, and saw Alice staring at the two from inside the house. She turned back around to Jacob with a smile on her face and chuckled, "I'll let you know when something happens. Bye Jake."

Jacob nodded and turned around quickly. He didn't want to be on Alice's bad side, so he left as swiftly as he could, without looking back. Bella made her way slowly back to the house, and Alice opened the door for her.

"Keeping an eye on me, I see." Bella commented with a smile.

"Oh shush, I can't help it." Alice pulled Bella back, and spun her around to face her.

"You know you shouldn't feel jealous. You're the only one who owns my heart, fully and completely." Bella said, not caring who was around to hear her.

Alice's face melted, and the biggest smile spread across her face. "As mine belongs to you, it always has, even when I didn't realize it."

"Always? Is that so?" Danielle's voice interrupted the girl's sweet talk.

Alice's smile immediately fell from her face; she had hurt Danielle's feelings once again. "Danielle, I…" but she was cut off.

"So all those nights spent together, making love to me and telling me that you loved me didn't mean anything to you? Did you ever even love me?" Danielle asked in a shrill voice. If it wasn't obvious that Danielle still had feelings for Alice before, it was crystal clear now.

Danielle, as if she realized what she just said, turned to Jasper with an apologetic look. That wasn't meant to come out, she wasn't supposed to say things like that…but she did. Her heart was torn, there was a spot saved specifically for Alice, and there always would be. Hearing Alice say something like that just made her snap, she had a momentary lapse of reason. She loved Alice dearly, and hearing Alice say her heart always belonged to Bella made her lose control. Danielle began to shake her head and took a few steps back, "I…I'm sorry Jasper. I just need to…be on my own for a bit. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, it was a mistake."

Jasper and the rest of the Cullen's watched speechless as Danielle made her way out of the house, and into the forest. No one knew what to say, or what to do. Bella's mood suddenly became sour; her suspicions about Danielle had just been confirmed. The only noise that could be heard was the slurping of blood from Matthew in the corner of the room. He couldn't care less about what just happened, he was too preoccupied in feeding.

"Should someone go after her?" Alice asked, unsure of what to say. She wasn't going to be the one to follow Danielle out into the forest; Alice couldn't help it if Danielle still harbored feelings for her. She knew if she even suggested going out there herself, Bella would be more than upset with her.

"I think we should let her cool off for a while. She is pretty upset with herself, just let her calm down." Edward said. He knew all along how Danielle felt, it was hard knowing everyone's secrets. Well, everyone except Bella's.

Jasper stood there, unsure of what to do. As far as he was concerned, Danielle only loved him. Was this never the truth? Had she always admired Alice from afar?

Emmett approached Jasper, and patted him on the back in order to comfort him. He was certainly being calm about the situation. "Let's go have a chat." Emmett said, as he led Jasper away from the crowd of gazing, golden eyes.

"That was awkward." Rosalie's voice echoed through the house once Jasper and Emmett were out of the room. All eyes were now on her, just staring in disbelief.

"What? It's true!" She tried to defend herself, but to no avail. She crossed her arms, and stormed away from the small group that remained.

"I'm just going to show Matthew around the house, and get him situated." Esme motioned for Matthew to follow her, and he eagerly complied.

That only left Edward, and the girls standing there. Bella had a scowl on her face, Edward looked awkwardly from one girl to the other, and Alice had no idea what to do. She didn't see it coming, it wasn't planned by Danielle; it just came out. Alice had wondered whether Danielle's feelings still remained, but was usually afraid to discuss the issue. Sure Danielle said she was over Alice, but was that even true?

Alice looked toward Bella, who had an intimidating expression on her face. Bella's eyes flickered toward her in a swift motion and opened her mouth to speak, "Did you know?" The question was simple and quick.

"I always wondered if she still cared for me, but I was never sure. I never really confronted her about it; there was no one else before you. There was never a need to bring up the issue, she had someone and I didn't. Now it seems since I have you, some jealousy has arisen." Alice looked toward Edward, who was slowly taking himself out of the situation and making his way up the stairs.

Bella heaved an unnecessary breath, and relaxed her shoulders a bit. The tension was becoming too much for Bella. All she wanted was peace, but it seems that was the last thing she was going to get. "What do we do about it?" She questioned, looking outside for any sign of Danielle. There was none.

"Wait for her to come back, and talk to her then. There is nothing we can really do right now, and I doubt that she would want to talk to me of all people. Jasper is the one she needs to go to first and foremost. I can't imagine what he's thinking right now."

Bella was quiet, but there was something hanging off the tip of her tongue. Slowly, Bella's words flowed out smooth and quiet, "What if Jasper isn't the one she wants, after all?"

"I don't know. We had our moment, but that was in the past. I don't love her in that way, I don't know if I ever did." Alice stared out the window, curious as to where Danielle had gone, and if she was risking her life by going out there all by herself. She began to wonder just how good of a girlfriend she really was if she didn't even know if she loved Danielle. She didn't want to be a bad girlfriend, especially not for Bella. She was different; there was no question that Alice felt love for this girl. That didn't mean she couldn't feel bad about upsetting Danielle though. A part of Alice wanted to run after Danielle and apologize, but what was the reason for apologizing? You can't apologize for being in love. Alice thought it would be best to leave Danielle to her thoughts for the time being, she was probably the last person Danielle wanted to see.

_Two days later…_

Time had passed and eventually Danielle returned home, and immediately went to see Jasper. They were locked in their room with Jasper ever since she got home, no one bothered the couple. Being the most private couple out of the house, everyone respected their privacy. They only hoped that things between them would be settled. What would happen if Danielle and Jasper broke up? Would they continue living in the same house, or would one of them leave? Carlisle and Esme wanted all of their _children _to stay together, but they would not stop them if one of them chose to leave.

There hadn't been much time to think of what was going to happen between Jasper and Danielle, because Carlisle's guests had started to arrive. People from all corners of the world showed up, and Bella was fascinated at how many people Carlisle had known. What if Bella had come across one of these vampires in her life before the Cullens? The vampire community was a small one; she figured it was only natural that a vampire would come across another more than once in their life.

Alice had introduced Bella to everyone that entered the house, and they all seemed to be rather kind toward her. Most of them had red eyes, just as Matthew had, and he too was fascinated with the multicultural vampires that walked through the Cullen's front door. He was adapting well, but his desire for human blood was still as strong as ever. The Denali coven had offered to help by taking Matthew hunting for animals, and try to begin steering him away from his natural desire of human blood.

Bella was most fascinated with the Amazonian coven, with their animal furs and tall stature; they certainly stood out among the rest. There wasn't a lot of time to chat with the various covens; they just kept flooding in from all parts of the world. Most of them meant business, and were off speaking with Carlisle in his office. Some members of the Egyptian coven had arrived, along with the European Nomads. When the Nomads arrived, Bella began to wonder if the coven she had met in Ireland would come walking through the door.

Ireland was the first place Bella fled to after she left her past life behind. She knew it was cloudy, and far enough away to hopefully help her escape the past. However, no matter how much time she spent there, the thought of Mary Alice wouldn't leave her mind. The Irish coven had discovered Bella feeding on a goat on a secluded farm, and felt sympathy for her. Bella knew nothing about what it was like being a vampire, and they had helped her with the most basic skills of being a vampire.

Like clockwork, the second Bella thought of the coven she met long ago, there was a knock at the front door, and a ring of the doorbell. She watched through her thick eyelashes from her position on the sofa as Alice got up from her seat to go answer the door. The door slowly opened, and she heard Alice's voice go up a few pitches as she greeted three women who stood at the door.

"I'm so glad to see you all again. It's been too long since we last spoke, please come in." Alice's voice echoed throughout the house.

"It's lovely to see you again, Alice. How are you?" A thick, Irish accent rolled off one of the women's tongue.

Bella moved her head toward the door at the sound of the familiar accent, and stared at the three women who entered the house. There they were; the very people Bella had met all those years ago. They were the only other coven she lived with, even if it were only for a brief period of time. Bella tightened her grip on the sofa as she sat up to get a closer look at the women. Of course, the second they made eye contact with Bella, they froze on the spot.

After closing the front door, Alice turned around and saw Bella looking in her direction, but she wasn't staring at her. She was eying the Irish sisters. She took a few steps forward, and looked at the three sisters, who were actually smiling at Bella, like they knew exactly who she was…

The youngest of the sisters, Maggie, moved swiftly toward Bella, and completely ignored the puzzled look on Alice's face. Her curly, red hair bounced as she almost skipped toward Bella, who had a mixture of fear and surprise on her face.

The youthful vampire smiled brightly down on Bella, who was either oblivious to the look on Bella's face, or just didn't care. "Isabella, is it really you?" The heavy accent came out calm and quiet.

Bella's face relaxed slightly as a small smile appeared in the corner of her lips. Alice watched Bella's expression carefully; it looked as if she were in a mix of emotions and couldn't decide which one she should feel.

Finally Bella replied, "Yes Maggie, it's me."

With that said, the red head bent down, and squeezed Bella in a monstrous hug. Unsure of what to do, Bella moved her arm slowly over Maggie's back, and hugged her in return.

Yes, it seemed like Bella did in fact know this coven.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading, it's greatly appreciated. Next chapter preview: Bella's past starts to come to light, Danielle reveals her true feelings, and some other delightful things.**


	19. Chapter 19

The Irish coven had wasted no time in surrounding Bella and asking her what she had been doing since the last time they saw her. The youngest one, Maggie, seemed the most interested in Bella's reappearance. Alice studied the way Maggie invaded Bella's personal space on numerous occasions, and would often find her trying to touch her girlfriend. Of course Maggie only seemed young based on her appearance; she was actually quite older than both Bella and Alice. Curiosity seemed to get the better of Alice as she wondered why Maggie had been so enthused to see Bella.

The leader of the coven Siobhan, and her mate Liam weren't as giddy as Maggie had been when it came to conversing with Bella. Of course they were surprised and delighted to see her, but there were more important tasks at hand. It seemed they were more interested in speaking with Carlisle than watching Maggie ogle over Bella.

"I still can't believe it's you. I never thought I'd never see you again. How in the world did you end up with the Cullens?" Maggie asked in her thick accent. Her big, bright red eyes scanned the length of Bella's body as she eagerly waited for a response.

Bella nervously shifted her eyes toward Alice, who was leaning against the wall, just watching to see what Bella was going to say. She thought about going up to Bella and sitting in her lap, or at least take hold of her hand to show Maggie that she needed to back off, but manners and curiosity kept her glued to the wall.

The brunette smiled softly when she realized Alice wasn't going to come save her, and looked back at Maggie hesitantly; shifting away from the close proximity Maggie was currently positioned in. Bella licked her lips, moistening them for a response, it was a nervous habit she had as a human and still did to this day. Bella noticed Maggie's eyes trailing down to her lips in an odd fascination. An eyebrow rose on Bella's flawless face as she finally replied, "Do you remember the girl I told you about, the one that I thought was gone forever?"

Maggie stalled for a moment, looking away from Bella momentarily as if that would help her recall. The truth is she knew what Bella was talking about; she just didn't want to appear too eager to reply to Bella's response. Crimson eyes fell back on Bella's features, "Of course I remember. Mary Alice…" She stopped mid-sentence.

Slowly, realization dawned on Maggie as she turned around for the first time, and met eyes with Alice Cullen, who waved politely with a smile plastered on her face. Maggie's smile faltered slightly, but she caught on to her expression, and immediately regained her bright smile once more. Maggie shifted her gaze back to Bella, who was also staring at Alice, only she could see love in her eyes.

"You don't mean…she is…how is that even possible?" Maggie pointed toward Alice in disbelief. It was almost impossible for something like that to happen. Out of all the people in the world, to be torn apart from your love, to think that they were dead, and then to find out they still existed had to come straight out of a fairy tale. Maggie was so sure that Bella would never find Mary Alice, but Bella insisted that she would never love another.

"My real name is Mary Alice, but it's been shortened to just Alice now. Can you imagine having to say Mary Alice over and over again? I'm sure a lot of people would find that annoying." She finally pushed herself off the wall, and walked closer toward the girls.

Red eyes fell to the ground, an odd mixture of discomfort and joy showed on Maggie's face. It was almost as if she were trying to be happy, but finding it difficult to do so. A small chuckle escaped Maggie's lips as she continued to stare down at the floor, no longer having the confidence to look Bella in the eyes, "Funny thing, isn't it? I've known Alice for years, and never put it together. How could I though, I had no idea your Mary Alice was one of us. What are the odds?"

Alice's hand found Bella's back, and pulled her gently toward her as she sat down on the arm of the chair to watch Maggie's expression closely. She could tell Maggie was less than enthused about the news, but why? Did Maggie used to have a little crush on Bella? "I think it was a miracle that we found each other again. I guess our love is everlasting, someway; somehow, we were brought together again. It was meant to be."

Bella tried to maintain a straight face, but once the words came out of Alice's mouth, she couldn't help but form a smile on her perfect lips. She tilted her head, and was met by the warm gaze of her girlfriend. "It was our destiny."

If the girls weren't busy staring into each other's eyes, they would've seen Maggie scowl at their words. No, she didn't like this. Bella should've been hers, but this other woman always got in the way. She figured Bella would come back to her eventually; Maggie had left an open invitation for her, and had offered herself to Bella several times. She never budged though, Bella remained faithful even when Alice was thought dead.

It was at that moment when Danielle and Jasper finally emerged from their bedroom, and made their way downstairs to greet all of their guests. Both of them looked surprisingly rejuvenated. Jasper had a small upward curve to his lip as he greeted the Irish coven. Alice turned her attention to Danielle, who was ignoring her completely, and chatting with someone from the Amazonian coven. Perhaps it was for the best that Danielle was left alone, they had just come out of their room, and she didn't want to push Danielle back up there by trying to talk to her when she wasn't ready.

Bella looked toward Danielle, and then back at Alice. She could tell Alice wanted to speak to her, but she honestly didn't want Danielle coming close to Alice. Sure, she was a nice girl, but now that she knew Danielle still harbored feelings for Alice, she didn't want anything to do with her.

Maggie took this moment to walk back to her coven, for she had nothing else to say to either one of the girls. What came as a happy surprise for Maggie, quickly turned into crap. She wanted Bella, she always had, but now it seems Bella would never be hers, unless Maggie could convince her otherwise.

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Alice could feel it radiating from Danielle, and Bella felt it equally from Maggie. No longer wanting to be in the spotlight, Bella raised herself out of her position on the seat, and made her way outside without anyone taking notice. She looked back to Alice, who was waiting for a signal to follow Bella. She tilted her head slightly, and beckoned Alice to follow, and so she did.

The cold, cloudy day was coming to an end as the girls ventured out into the forest to have some privacy. Bella led Alice through the forest in silence, looking back at the shorter woman every now and then. Unsure of what they were doing, Alice followed in curiosity, smiling every time Bella turned her head around. Alice had more reasons to smile these days, unbeknownst to Bella, Alice had received a special package in the mail the other day, and she was waiting for the right time to present it to Bella.

Once they were far enough in the forest, Bella came to a resting point and placed herself on top of a fairly large boulder. There was a small stream nearby with pieces of ice breaking off and flowing downstream, eventually leading out into the ocean. A family of bunnies darted across the icy water when the girls approached, causing both of their senses to fill with the scent of blood. Alice stopped and stared up at Bella for a moment, caught up in the beauty of her girlfriend, before she finally moved closer toward her.

Playing coy, Alice approached Bella slowly and quietly asked, "So, how come you never told me about Maggie? It seems she has a little thing for you."

Bella chuckled as she turned her head slightly to get a better view of her approaching girlfriend, "It's more like a big thing, and I never really thought to tell you because I didn't think it mattered. She had…an obsession for me; I didn't think I would see her again."

The short haired woman picked herself up and sat next to Bella, making herself more comfortable. She wanted to know every little detail about this crush Maggie had, but she didn't want Bella to catch on to her jealousy, so she tried to remain cool. "How long were you living with them? I remember you telling me that you didn't live with any other vampires before, but now it seems that's not the case."

Bella stared up at the blanketing clouds above her as she responded, "I never really did live with them, or chose to live with them. They found me in Ireland trying to feed off a goat, and insisted that I come with them so they could show me the way of vampire life. I didn't actually live with them, it's more like I stayed with them for three months and then moved on."

"Why didn't you stay with them longer? Surely they were kind to you; I've known them a long time and have never been treated bad by any of them." Alice questioned.

"Because Maggie didn't understand what no meant. She wouldn't leave me alone, everywhere I went; she would follow. She tried so hard to get me to cave in, but I never did."

"Cave into what? What was she trying to do?" Alice asked, already knowing what the answer was.

"She wanted to sleep with me. Maggie tried teasing me, seducing me, and it eventually led to her practically forcing herself on me. She threw herself on me in an attempt to kiss me. The moment she touched my lips with her own, I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out of there because I knew she wasn't going to stop." Bella said angrily. She remembered the event as if it had just happened yesterday.

"It sounds like she was a very determined woman. I'm sorry she tried to force herself on you, that's not right. Hopefully she has learned where her place is." Alice placed her hand gently around Bella's waist, her jealousy dimmed, replaced by sympathy.

Bella's voice lowered, "I just lost you, and I was in no mood to have another person fling themselves at me. I didn't need that in my life, so I had to leave. You would think she would see things differently now, but the moment they walked through your door, I saw that same look of desire in her eyes that was there all that time ago."

"Surely she can't be caught up in you still, it's been too long. And you were only there for three months, that girl has got to have someone else in her life by now. Maybe she was just happy to see you again." Alice suggested. She didn't think it was likely that Maggie still retained feelings for Bella; it had been too long of a time, and such a short time to have been around her.

"You're probably right…I hope you're right. I just felt weird when I saw her walking through the door; I didn't think I would see her or her coven again. I don't want to be reminded of that time in my life, it was hell." Bella relaxed her shoulders around Alice's protective arms, and reveled in the feeling of having her love touch her.

Alice was quiet, reflecting on the words she heard. She rarely knew anything about Bella's past, because she never told anyone. All she knew was that Isabella was her girlfriend while they were human, and then once she had been taken to the hospital, at some point Bella was changed. Then there is a big gap between then and now that Bella won't speak about. Almost a hundred years since then…something had to have happened. Slowly, Bella started to open up. She took Bella admitting who Maggie was as a blessing, she was actually glad Maggie was here for that reason. Otherwise, Alice didn't know whether Bella would ever reveal anything about her past.

"Is that why you're so quiet about your past? I mean, after you were changed." Alice questioned quietly.

Bella's face scrunched up in a moment of what appeared to be pain before she replied, "It hurts too much. Don't you have a part of your life that was dark, or that you prefer not to speak about?"

"I never knew enough about myself to feel sorry for the position I was put it, but I've had moments in my life that I wished never happened. How am I supposed to know who you are, who you really are if you won't let me in all the way?" Alice couldn't help but feel a little hurt that Bella hadn't revealed more about her past. They had been dating such a long time now, their love had survived a century, and Bella wouldn't let her in.

"I'm sorry Alice; I don't mean to be this way. I'm just used to keeping to myself, and I don't realize I'm doing something wrong. There were times I would go without talking for weeks, even months. There wasn't anyone to talk to, and I just got used to it being that way. It's been just me and mother nature for the most part."

The girls were staring at each other in a moment of silence as the season's first snow fall began to descend upon them. White snowflakes fell between the girls, and Alice watched in amusement as a few flakes landed in Bella's hair. Bella let a small smile show as she looked back up into the sky, and allowed more flakes to fall against her face.

"So, why don't you tell me something about yourself then?" Alice asked, breaking the comfortable silence between the girls.

"What do you want to know?" Bella asked, her voice came out low and husky.

Pleased to hear that Bella didn't flat out deny her an answer, Alice formed a small smile on her lips as she began to think of a question to ask her. She placed her finger against the temple of her forehead as she pretended to think hard, and finally thought of a question.

"Was there anyone else besides Maggie who was interested in you?" Alice eagerly waited to hear a reply.

"Of course, that was one of the main reasons why I tried to stay away from everyone, including vampires. I stayed away from society as much as I could, to stay away from the temptation of feeding on a human for one, and to stay away from any other vampire that may have been lurking nearby."

"You can't tell me you spent almost a century just hiding out in the forest…" Alice responded.

Bella shook her head, "Of course not. I traveled a lot, I've been all over the world, met a couple of vampires when there was no other way to avoid them, but other than that I've just been a loner. Whenever I was in public, every man would want to take me out or buy me a drink, and I hated the thought of doing something like that with someone who wasn't you. You've led an interesting life since I last saw you, but not all vampires get to live so luxuriously. There was a time when I really considered…trying to kill myself." Bella hesitated to complete her sentence.

All amusement or sign of a smile vanished off Alice's face the moment she heard what Bella said. "But…why? When?"

"Sometime in the mid-forties. I really loathed the person that I had become, I couldn't stand to be in my skin anymore, I couldn't take the constant desire for human blood. I had given up all hope that you were still alive, and was having a really hard time trying to banish your existence from my thoughts…you were the best thing that had ever happened to me. The thought of a day without you on the planet drove me into a deep depression, one that lasted a very, very long time."

Alice was shocked; she didn't think Bella had been that bad off. Her immediate response to Bella's reply was, "What made you change your mind?"

"It wasn't so much what changed my mind; it was more like it was impossible to kill myself. I didn't know how I could die; I didn't think it was possible no matter what I tried. I couldn't drown, I could just pick myself back up if I jumped off a cliff, wild animals couldn't hurt me…nothing really worked. Eventually, I gave up trying, and accepted that I would have to live a miserable existence. I often felt like I should have let James and Victoria kill me. What was my life worth anyway? Running and hiding, missing someone who was dead. I never thought I'd have you back. I thought death was the ultimate ending…but yet, here we are." She stared at the snowflakes falling on her jacket, wondering if she just sat there unmoving, if the snow would eventually cover her completely.

Alice wasn't sure how to respond, what was the right thing to say to someone who just admitted they tried to kill themselves? "Bella…Isabella…I am so sorry for what happened, if I had known you existed, if I had the slightest idea or hint that someone like you was out there waiting for me, I would have never stopped looking for you. Although we've been pulled apart for almost a century, we have each other now. We can have each other forever, until the end of time." She took hold of Bella's chin, causing her to face Alice. Bella stared into Alice's eyes, and swore she saw the blue orbs Alice once had, however once she blinked, she was met with a bright shade of gold.

"Do you really want to spend the rest of your existence with someone like me?" Bella responded.

Alice stared into Bella's eyes, searching her soul that was once lost. The look in her eyes had changed since she first met Bella, they used to seem empty and hollow, but something new could be seen deep inside Bella, hope. "I've never been so sure of anything in my life...I will love you until the end of time Bella. Are you sure you really want someone as thick headed as me? Now and forever? Because I have news for you, I'm not going to change." Alice smirked.

"Now Mary Alice, I've always known you were thick headed. That isn't a trait you picked up as a vampire, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Bella laughed as Alice mocked offense, but used this moment to take Bella by surprise and catch her lips against her own in a sweet embrace.

As their kiss deepened, Alice felt a vision coming on, and broke the kiss just in time for it to invade her senses. Bella watched in curiosity as Alice went blank for a moment, and she held on to her body tight just in case she might've slipped from the boulder during the vision. Bella never saw Alice's visions like this when they were human; they usually came in Mary Alice's dreams, or were rather quick. She wasn't used to seeing Alice's body become completely useless as the visions came, so she held her tight for added precaution.

Her vision was brief because Alice lifted her head only a few seconds after Bella held her securely. The pixie looked up with a smile, and realized the proximity between the two had dramatically increased. "I've never had someone hold me during a vision before. They're usually too afraid to touch me for fear of snapping me out of it."

Bella kissed Alice on the cheek;lingering next to her for a while longer, "I didn't want you to fall off the rock, darling. What was your vision about?" She questioned curiously.

Alice smiled again and even let out a laugh, "Darling? Did you used to call me that? Oh, well I finally had a vision of the future. Maggie is looking for you again, and is asking for someone to help her look for the two of us."

Bella groaned and pushed her head against Alice's shoulder, burying herself as deep as she could go, inhaling Alice's intoxicating scent. "Why is it so hard to get alone time with you? Do people not respect privacy anymore? And yes, I used to call you darling all the time." She mumbled against Alice.

"Because everyone is in love with us and wants to break us up?" Alice tried to say it as a joke, but even she wasn't laughing. It was partially true.

Bella tilted her head up to stare at Alice through her eyelashes, with a frown on her face she replied, "That's not funny."

"Did I like it when you called me darling? Did I call you any pet names?" Alice asked, changing the subject to something more positive.

"You loved it, couldn't get enough of it actually. And yes, you used to call me your angel...because you said I saved you." Bella removed herself from Alice completely, and slid of the large boulder before anything else progressed between them. She was determined to make her way back to the Cullen household before a manhunt was sent out for them. Waiting at the bottom of the rock, Bella held her arms out for Alice with a large smile on her face. "Come to me, darling."

Alice stared at Bella from below for a moment, enjoying the look of joy in her features, and seeing how Bella could've been her angel in the past, and realizing that she would always be her own, personal angel.

"Of course, angel." With that said, she jumped straight into Bella's arms like they were trained professionals. Bella cradled Alice in her arms like a baby, while the pixie wrapped her arms around her neck in an attempt to get closer.

"Should I carry you home like this? I'm sure everyone would love that, or maybe we can just go back to my place." Bella began heading in the direction of her house, and Alice began squealing and kicking her legs. She loved the closeness and the intimate moment they had shared, but realized that going back to her house right now wouldn't be the wisest of choices. They were about to go to war and there was no time for lovers playing in the forest. Alice looked in Bella's eyes, who reflected the same expression she had.

"I don't ever want to let you go." Bella said quietly.

Alice didn't respond verbally, but instead leaned in and kissed Bella on the lips. "I know, my angel."

Bella's grip loosened on Alice, and eventually she slid out of her arms with grace, and the girls began walking back to the Cullen household, hand in hand. They were quiet at first, just listening to the crunching of the snow that began to pile beneath their feet. It was peaceful, but like the calm before the storm, both of the girls knew this peace was only temporary.

"Bella, can I ask you something before we get back to the house?" Alice asked as she shook the snow that had landed out of her hair.

Bella thought she was going to ask another question about Maggie, so she responded, "Sure, ask anything you want."

"What did you do to James?"

Bella stopped walking, caught off guard by the question. Alice just looked back at her curiously, waiting for a response. How was Bella going to tell her this, what she did to him wasn't really considered good by any means, and was quite embarrassing for her. Just thinking about what she took from James made her feel ashamed, but then again he took something from her that was far more valuable. He took her life away.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you." Alice said after a few more seconds of silence.

Bella shook her head, shrugging it off and not wanting to hide anything from Alice, she began walking again and tried to think of the best way to explain what happened. "What exactly do you want to know? I tore him up and ran away."

"I know…but Edward seemed to find something amusing about what Matthew was thinking. What exactly did you tear apart? I mean…did you keep anything with you?" Alice asked curiously.

Taken aback, Bella raised her shoulders, trying to shrug it off like it was no big deal. "Not exactly. I didn't know vampires had to be burned to die at the time, but I saw his body parts kept moving, I knew he wasn't dead… so I figured I could make him suffer the rest of his existence by taking something important to him."

"What did you take?" Alice asked, almost scared to ask what it was.

Bella didn't respond; she just kept walking quietly along the path back to the Cullens.

"Bella…you didn't take his….you know." Alice asked, caught in-between wanting to laugh and gag at the thought.

"What? Did I take his what?" Bella was now getting agitated; obviously this was a sore subject for her.

"Did you take his…manhood?" Alice didn't know how to phrase it better.

Silence fell throughout the forest, as it seemed even the birds and bees wanted to hear the answer. Bella just stared at Alice with a scrunched up face, unsure of what to say. Her mouth opened a few times to say something in response but kept closing, not really knowing how to go about responding to that. If Bella could blush, she would be crimson.

"Did you really just ask me if I tore his penis off and kept it with me?" She was finally able to respond.

Alice stared and nodded her head. Her eyes widened as she waited for a response. Then something happened that Alice hadn't seen before, Bella started shouting with laughter. The noise was startling at first, and she thought Bella was in pain, but then she heard the laughter coming through the shouts of joy. Relief washed over Alice's face once she realized Bella was laughing, and then thought she was rather silly for assuming Bella would actually do something like that.

"I can't believe you Alice, why in the world would I take that of all things?" Bella continued laughing.

Alice approached Bella, laughing at herself more than anything, "I just assumed the worse, I'm sorry. You could've set it on fire, and really let him suffer."

"Taking his penis was the last thing that would've been on my mind at the moment, Alice. But thank you for that lovely vision of burning a vampire's penis. Darn, now I missed my chance." Bella snapped her fingers in mock disappointment.

"Well, we'll see him again soon enough. You may get your chance after all." Alice stated, and she actually considered doing this for her own personal reasons.

"No thank you. You can burn all the penises you want, but I'll stay clear of that." Bella started walking once again, still laughing at the absurd thought.

Alice followed right behind, still smiling. "What did you do then?"

Bella sighed; her laughter had gone away completely as she finally answered the question. "I didn't want him being able to feed on anyone else, so I thought if I took his mouth that he wouldn't be able to suck anyone elses blood and would eventually die of starvation. Of course I didn't take his entire mouth, and he has still been able to feed somehow, but I tore off his jaw, or at least most of it. Do vampires grow back body parts if they're missing?"

"I think they have to have it with them in order for them to reattach. Otherwise, I don't believe it grows back on its own." Alice replied, surprised.

"I tore his jaw off quickly; it was the last thing I did after I took his head off and dismembered the rest of his body. I must've not gotten all of it because the bite marks on Matthew are the same teeth marks that are on my body. He has to be able to still bite down somewhat in order to feed, unless he has some sort of mechanical replacement for it. Is that possible?"

"I suppose anything is possible at this point. What did you do with his jaw?"

"I ran away with it. I had it with me for a while, but the thing scared me so much, I didn't want to look at it anymore. When I was on the boat to Europe for the first time, I tossed it in the water when no one was looking. Obviously, that hasn't stopped him from killing, and it was probably silly of me to think that taking it from him would've made much of a difference."

"You didn't know at the time, and I actually think that was a really smart thing to do. At least you put a decent dent in him. Maybe he is scared of you, and that's why Victoria is the one who seems to be in charge now."

"Yeah, well Victoria was nowhere to be found when I finally turned around to look for her. She left faster than the speed of light. Some companion she was."

"Most vampires leave when things get too dangerous. It was in her best interest that she left before you turned on her too." The girls were closing in on the Cullen house. They could see Maggie staring out the window from the distance.

"Oh, and I also took his nose. This was probably dumb of me, but I figured if I took it as well, he wouldn't have any sense of smell and wouldn't be able to hunt people anymore." Bella said quickly to Alice before they finally reached the perimeter of the Cullen yard.

"You're so full of surprises, Isabella Swan." Alice commented, watching Bella walk ahead of her.

"And you'll have all eternity to find out what each and every surprise is." Bella turned to look at Alice one last time, before she faced the Cullen house, and made her way inside.

"That we do." Alice whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So...I'm not dead. I've just been side tracked with silly things like college and a full time job. My severe apologies for making people wait this long, probably so long that most people forgot what this was even about. I never wanted to give up writing this, so I am determined to give this a proper finish. I'm nowhere near completing this fic though, but I expect to update it weekly from here on out. Next Chapter: Danielle and Bella have a little chat.  
><strong>


	20. Chapter 20

The last thing Bella wanted to do was go inside the Cullen's mansion, but she was left without any other option. She could feel Maggie's eyes glued to her every move, and dreaded every step she took forward. Finally, she reached the sliding door and looked up, only to stare straight into blood red eyes. Bella moved back slightly, and gave a weak smile to Maggie who was smiling from ear to ear. It was as if every tooth in her head was displayed in her smile. Unsure of whether to go inside or wait for Alice to catch up, Bella just stood there awkwardly staring back into Maggie's eyes. She moved to the left in order to have some distance between the two, and it was as if Bella were looking in the mirror, because Maggie moved right along with her. Bella knew she was eager to see her, but she had to admit that it was a little creepy that she couldn't even move without the girl mimicking her.

"Alice, aren't you coming?" Bella turned and asked calmly while looking for the pixie, almost desperate for someone to get her out of this position. Bella had a feeling Alice was taking her sweet time on purpose for her own amusement.

"Alice, please. This isn't the time for games!" Bella whispered harshly, though Maggie could hear everything she said. Alice popped her head around the corner of the house with a perfect, white smile and finally walked up to Bella with a skip in her step. Ignoring Bella's scowl, Alice brushed against Bella, deliberately pushing into the girl for some sort of physical contact. She lingered there for a moment; staring into Bella's eyes. Her eyes darted up the length up Bella's body quickly, and she bit her lip seductively as her mind filled with deliciously naughty thoughts. However, Alice had to calm herself. She had a bone to pick with Maggie; she would have to devour Bella at a more suitable time. Wanting to say something to Bella, Alice opened her mouth, to which Bella's eyes darted to immediately. Her tongue rolled across her red lips slowly, and Bella followed each and every movement her tongue made. Alice arched her eyebrow slightly, and decided to wait until later to tell Bella what she was thinking. She loved the adorable look Bella gave when she was…distracted.

The short haired girl turned her attention to the vampire who was staring awkwardly at the pair behind the glass door. Maggie looked as if her head were about to explode from a mix of anger and frustration. Alice slid the door open and greeted Maggie with a smile. The red head was stuck between a smile and scowl, and was quite comical to Alice. Maggie moved aside quickly to let Alice in as if she was on fire and couldn't stand being touched.

Alice turned to Maggie, and gave her a wicked smile. "Hello Maggie, do you mind if we have a chat up in my room? There's something I'd like to discuss with you." She grabbed Maggie by the shoulder, pulling her away from Bella without waiting for a proper response and practically pushed her up the stairs. Maggie stared at Bella with fear in her eyes as she was led up the stairs with a firm grip on her shoulder. Siobahn noticed the awkward exchange between the girls, but thought nothing of it, and turned around to continue her conversation with Carlisle.

Bella watched with a puzzled expression as her girlfriend and former stalker went up the stairs. Alice hadn't mentioned anything about speaking with Maggie to Bella, why wouldn't she have told her? _Is she going to tell her to back off? Tell her to stay away from her woman? _Bella thought with a smile. Whatever it was, hopefully it will keep Maggie away. Though she had a feeling no matter what Alice said to Maggie, it wouldn't be easy getting her to back off.

Bella was too busy staring at the stairs, while deep in thought, to notice that Danielle had approached her from behind, "I wonder what they're going to talk about." She said calmly, staring at the same spot Bella was.

"Probably something about the way she's been acting." Bella replied casually, trying not to let her emotions show. Danielle was a nice girl and she didn't want to be flat out rude to her. She finally turned to look at Danielle, who eventually locked eyes with Bella. An odd expression crossed her features as she looked around Bella's face, almost as if she were trying to read what she was thinking.

"I think she wants to kick Maggie's butt for staring at you like she's been doing. They've only been here a few hours and everyone can tell Maggie has a thing for you. She wouldn't shut up about you when the two of your left, which was rather annoying actually. Maggie is in for quite the surprise though; Alice can be a very possessive and jealous partner." Danielle let out a small laugh, trying to lighten the mood between them in an attempt to make things less awkward.

Bella raised one of her perfectly groomed eyebrows and crossed her arms. She shifted her weight to finally face Danielle, giving her full attention. _I could say the same thing about you, only I'd be the one kicking your ass. _Bella thought wickedly.

Danielle must've caught on to what Bella was thinking, because seconds after she said that, she replied, "I'm sure you have a few choice words for me because of what I said the other day." She was ashamed for her outburst, and embarrassed that it happened in front of everyone. Her eyes darted from Bella, to the stairs, and then back to Bella again. The situation between the two girls reeked of awkwardness, but Danielle wanted to get what she had to say off her chest.

Bella smiled lightly, but chose not to say anything. She honestly didn't know what to say, because it was true. Bella had a mouthful of things to say to Danielle, but kept her lips sealed.

"Look, I need to talk to you about some things. I don't want there to be any bad air between us, and I really want to clear up what my intentions are. Can I talk to you up in my room, where it's a little more private? I promise it's nothing bad." Danielle asked, taking Bella by surprise. What harm could talking to Danielle do? Bella was interested in seeing what Danielle was thinking.

"Of course… I'm sorry if I'm coming off as rude; I'm just not sure what to say. Lead the way." Bella motioned for Danielle to take the lead. Without another word, Danielle walked toward the stairs and Bella followed quickly behind. It seemed both Bella and Alice would get to let out what's been on their minds today.

Awkward silence filled the air on the way toward Danielle and Jasper's room until eventually Danielle stopped in front of the many doors in the house. She was nervous because she didn't really know Bella all that well, she knew of her through Alice, but they never really got to talk one on one. Danielle glanced back and Bella, who was waiting quietly, then opened the door with a small creak and held it open for Bella to go in.

"Thanks" Bella said quietly as she entered the room. She looked around slowly, taking in all the details, and noticed how different it was from Alice's. It was a lot bigger compared to hers.

The main focus was the king sized bed which sat in the middle of the room. It was pushed up against the wall sized glass windows behind them, allowing anyone who was in it to relax and stare up at the night sky and surroundings. The bed was made perfectly, and the light blue sheets hadn't a wrinkle on them. The pillows looked as if no one had ever used them before, and that made Bella wonder if indeed, the bed was ever used. Not wanting to think about Danielle and Jasper's sex life, Bella looked elsewhere.

To the right of the bed was a massive bookshelf, filled with encyclopedias, dictionaries, how to books, classic novels, the latest trending novels…everything a person could ever think of was on that bookshelf. Bella walked over and browsed a few titles on their spines, admiring the collection. She could see herself coming in here just to read. Above the bookshelf was an old civil war uniform propped on the wall, along with a sword and gun. It was in a thick glass case, surrounded by a dark wooden frame. To the left of the bed was a big metal desk, with the largest computer Bella had ever seen. There were antiques and various knick knacks decorated along the walls. The closet and bathroom were toward the entrance, where Danielle stood and watched Bella with a light smile. In front of the bed and against the opposite side of the wall sat a wide screen television, with every modern game console and gadget beneath it. Bella smiled as she thought of Jasper playing video games. How bizarre to have an old war veteran playing modern day war games on the television.

"Do you and Jasper actually play video games?" Bella asked, looking back to Danielle with a bright smile.

Danielle chuckled at her expression and relaxed, "Of course. You should try them sometime, they're quite fun."

"We'll have to have a game night sometime then, you and Jasper against me and Alice. You can show me what all of these things do, because I'm still stuck in the past as far as technology goes. I love the way you decorated your room, it's very welcoming. The view at night out of your window must be amazing." Bella gazed out into the forest as the night finally fell over the snowy forest. She wondered what it looked like on a clear night.

"I absolutely adore the view. It's so peaceful; I could never get tired of it. I used to share this room with Alice actually. She loved the view as well. When we came to live here again the second time around, Alice offered to take Jasper's old room instead." Danielle approached Bella, and offered her to take a seat on the bed, having there really be no other place to sit.

Bella sat down comfortably, thinking of what Danielle said with a blank face and waited for her to start talking. Danielle smiled kindly, and took a seat next to Bella. Not too close for discomfort, nor far enough for there to be an odd distance. Danielle gave her a look of regret, there was definitely something on her mind.

"What do you want to talk about?" Bella asked in an attempt to get her to start talking. She usually wasn't the one to initiate conversations, but she could tell Danielle wasn't going to speak unless spoken to first.

Danielle nodded her head, and snapped out of her internal thoughts. "Right, well I wanted to ask you first, what exactly has Alice told you about what went on between us?"

"She said you were relationship for five years, but she ended it because she realized she wasn't in love with you that way." Bella replied, unsure if her words would upset Danielle or not.

"We were in a relationship for five years, yes. I loved Alice dearly, and I still do love her…" Danielle trailed off.

Bella's arms went rigid, and her calm face was replaced by a scowl. Danielle took notice of this and quickly continued her sentence.

"However, it's not the kind of love that I have for Jasper now. I'm not in love with Alice like I once was, but there is still something there. I don't want any harm to come between us because of this, but I can't really help it. I admit that I was jealous of you; I've never seen Alice look as happy in her life as she does now. I was jealous that I could never be the one to make her happy like that. I was with her for such a long time, and I've never seen her smile like she does when she is with you. Can you understand what it's like to watch someone you love, love someone else?" Danielle unloaded herself on Bella, and she could visually see the hunched over vampire sit up straighter the more she spoke about it.

"I've never been in love with someone else before. I've only ever desired Alice." Bella replied quietly, beginning to understand why Danielle had been acting the way she was.

"I don't want to be with Alice, and I am happy she is with you because you truly make her happy. It just hurts to realize that I'm not the one that could've done that for her. My place is with Jasper, we both make each other happier than we've ever been in our entire existence. My anger and jealousy issues go further back than when I was with Alice. So if my jealousy seemed to have come out of nowhere, it just that my past fuels some of the thoughts I have to this day. Alice was the one that saved me from my horrible existence and convinced the Cullens to let me join their coven; she was the only one that I thought cared for me at the time. I am very protective of her, and have never seen her with anyone else. The thoughts I have are surprising even for me, but I'm trying to adjust to having someone in her life that truly makes her happy."

"What happened before you were with Alice, if you don't mind me asking?" Bella asked eagerly, suddenly fascinated with her history.

"It's a long story." Danielle said quietly.

"Please…tell me. Maybe talking about it will help with what you've been feeling lately." She had a small urge to reach out and comfort Danielle, but chose to stay in her place.

Silence filled the room as Danielle decided whether to let Bella in or not. She glanced quickly up and Bella and gauged the look on her face. Seeing there was nothing but compassion in Bella's eyes, Danielle began talking about her history.

"I was only twenty three when I was changed. I lived out on a farm with my father, who was too drunk most of the time to take care of his own land and livestock, which pushed the work on his children. I had a younger sister, Emily who had just turned nineteen that month. My mother died while having Emily and neither of us really knew much about her. I only remember bits and pieces from when I was a toddler. Anyway, it was up to me to be sure the farm was kept in tip top condition. I had to wake up as early as four in the morning, and wouldn't get to bed until eleven at night. Emily had an easier life, she only helped with certain things, and my father would often just give her money to do as she pleased. Everyone loved Emily; she was always the prettier, more social one out of the two of us." Danielle looked down at the floor, deep in concentration as she tried to remember her former life. It wasn't always easy to think of her past.

"Most of my free time was spent with my boyfriend, Andrew. I loved him with all my heart, and I really thought I was going to marry him one day. I had my life completely planned out… I was going to marry Andrew, and we were going to take over the farm together, have a few children, and die peacefully of old age once our lives were fulfilled. He was everything I ever dreamed about, and I thought he loved me, but I was wrong. I was so wrong; it makes me sick to think about how oblivious I was to it."

Bella continued to sit quietly and listen.

"We were supposed to go out one night, just me and him. He said he wanted to take me to the city for a nice meal, and maybe even a show. So I got all dressed up, made myself look as beautiful as I could, and waited for him to come. I must've waited at least two hours before I started to think he wasn't going to show. I was worried for his safety because he stood me up, which was a very unusual thing for him to do."

"What happened to Andrew? Where was everyone else?" Bella asked while Danielle paused.

This caused Danielle to laugh bitterly when the memory was brought back fresh in her mind, "Well it turns out Andrew had every intention to take me out, however he only made it as far as the drive way to our house before my sister intercepted him. You see, she liked Andrew too, and it didn't really matter that he was my man; my sister got any man she desired. I guess Andrew couldn't resist a younger, more beautiful and pampered version of myself. I went looking for my sister after waiting for Andrew to show up so we could talk, but she wasn't in her room, or anywhere in the house for that matter. I would've asked my father, but he was passed out at the kitchen table. That's when I noticed there was a light on in the barn. No one ever went into the barn except for me or my dad, so I went to go see if Emily was out there." Danielle stopped talking. It was getting harder for her think about it.

"Was she out there?" Bella asked, completely enthralled by her history.

"Yes. She was out there, and Andrew was with her. I found them on top of one of the haystacks; she was on top of him, completely naked."

"What did you do?"

Danielle shrugged, "I yelled at them of course. I was heartbroken, Emily was mortified and Andrew was angry."

"Angry about what? That you caught him sleeping with your sister?" Bella asked angrily.

"Apparently. Emily then started yelling at me once she saw Andrew becoming upset, and told me that they were in love, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. So I catch my boyfriend cheating on me, having sex with my sister in the barn, and they think they have the right to get mad at me." Anger still showed on Danielle's face.

"I'm so sorry Danielle. I had no idea." Bella whispered and tried to imagine what it must've been like to be in her position and witness something like she had.

"That wasn't the worst part. Emily became pregnant with Andrew's baby, and they got married. I felt so betrayed and so angry. Emily had stolen my life, the life that I tried to work so hard for. She took my man, and had children with him. My dad passed away shortly after they were married, leaving the farm to the two of us. I was so jealous, I hated my sister. She never showed that she was sorry, she took something that was meant for me and made it for her. She was living my life."

"Where did they go once they were married? They didn't stay at the farm, did they?"

"Of course they did. Andrew wanted the farm, that's why he dated me in the first place, and Emily went along with him in everything he said. So it was me, my ex-boyfriend turned brother in law, and my pregnant sister. They were trying to get me to leave, but I kept fighting them for it. I wouldn't have left that farm no matter how miserable I was with the two of them living under my roof. I worked too hard to have given it up. It was rightfully mine."

"So you all just lived together? But what does that have to do with you being turned?" Bella edged closer to Danielle.

"I'm getting there…one night I was trying to herd the cattle into their pens from a day of grazing on the grass. I counted them all, and they were all there except for one. She went missing. I tried to get Andrew to help me look for it, because it was already dark outside, and two people is always better than one. My sister couldn't go because she was expecting the baby at any moment, and she claimed that I was just trying to get Andrew on my own, and refused to let him come with me. He was a lazy son of a bitch anyway, so he was happy for the excuse not to do actual work. I went out into the pasture with a lantern and tried to calling for the cow. I must've sounded rather silly calling for a cow in the middle of the night, but I eventually found a trail of blood that lead out into the forest."

Bella had a feeling she knew where this was going. "You thought the cow could've gotten hurt, so you went to look for her?"

"Exactly. I thought a wolf had gotten her, or some wild animal had torn her up a bit, but the further I walked along the blood trail, the larger amounts of blood I saw. Until eventually I found her carcass. Torn to shreds by something. It was kind of gross the way it was destroyed; something really strong had to have gotten to it because I don't think it's possible for an animal to tear a cow in half. I'm sure you know what comes next." Danielle looked to Bella, who nodded knowingly.

"I don't know who it was, or where they came from, but I was attacked only a few seconds after I saw my cow. They must've come out of a tree, like it was a trap. They knew I was coming, they knew someone would have to come looking for their cow. Maybe they even wanted me to come specifically. It was like they were watching me, knew that I had no one that cared for me, and knew that I wouldn't be missed. I was attacked from behind, jumped on my back and bit my neck."

"Did they say anything? You never saw who it was?" Bella asked.

"He whispered to me. His voice said, your life may be mine, but you will go on forever. We'll meet again one day. I want to see what you do with the gift I'm giving you."

Bella looked at Danielle, just as puzzled as her about the cryptic message.

"He left me in the forest. I lay there screaming with the dead cow next to me. It hurt so much, and I tried crawling back to my farm, but I was so dazed from the pain. I think I ended up going further into the woods. Eventually I stopped moving, and gave up. No one came to look for me, no one cared. When I finally woke up, I knew I was different. I didn't really have time to examine myself because the smell of blood filled my senses, and on instinct I ran like a mad woman through the forest, until I reached my farm…where Andrew and Emily had just brought home their newborn baby girl. I'm guessing that's why they never came looking for me, she went into labor and had the baby at the hospital while I was missing."

Fear crossed Bella's features as she assumed the worst. "You didn't…kill them, did you?"

"I wanted to, I wanted so bad just to sink my teeth in them and drink their blood. My thoughts scared the hell out of me. I wondered what was wrong with me, what kind of disease would make me want to suck the blood out of my sister and her newborn baby? I knew it was wrong, and it took everything I had inside me to leave. I couldn't get any closer than I already was, or they all would've been dead."

"What did you do?"

"I turned around and run away before anyone noticed me. I knew I couldn't go back there. Even though my sister took everything away from me, I had no desire to kill her. I ran as fast as I could, buried myself deep within the forest, and I never went back to my farm again."

"You must've still loved your sister deeply to turn away from them like that. We all know it's close to impossible to resist blood as a newborn. Are they still alive? Or do you not know anything more about them?"

"No, they're alive. My sister is in a nursing home, but I doubt she will live much longer. Andrew died a few years ago, and their daughter Samantha has a family of her own at the farm now. The internet is a wonderful thing when it comes to researching people." Danielle smiled at that.

"Do you ever want to go back now that you can control yourself?"

"No, I have a new life now, and it's not worth dragging up the past. They must've thought I couldn't handle being around them anymore and left, leaving the farm in their hands. I don't know if Emily ever thought of me again, but it doesn't really matter anymore. That part of my existence is long gone, and I'll never get it back no matter how much I wish on it. However, it would be funny to visit my sister in the nursing home to see what her reaction would be, but I'm afraid I would kill her. She is ancient; the slightest noise might give her a heart attack. Imagine what would happen if I walked in unchanged from when she last saw me."

Bella imagined the very thought, and couldn't help but laugh. She thought Danielle would be upset from her laughter, so she was about to apologize when she saw Danielle smiling as well. Their moment only lasted a few seconds when Danielle began to speak again.

Now that you know about how I was changed, I'll tell you how I met Alice." Danielle seemed to perk up more now that she had explained her unpleasant past to Bella.

"Please do." Bella encouraged.

"I had only been changed for a couple of months before I met Alice. I was scared of killing people, and so I had tried to starve myself. I hid deep within the woods to try and get away from that intoxicating scent. It's like no matter where I went, the aroma of blood screamed for me to come savor the taste. I even tried tying myself up to a tree because I couldn't even trust myself to stay in the woods. I was weak, and expected to die at any minute, but then Alice appeared out of nowhere. I was delusional and thought she was human, so I screamed at her to go away. She only looked at me with sad eyes, and approached me closer." Danielle went from looking down at the ground, to meeting Bella's gaze.

"She saved me Bella. She showed me something so simple, an alternative to killing humans. When she came up to me, she told me everything was going to be okay, and disappeared. Only a few minutes passed, and I thought I was just insane and imagined her, but Alice returned. This time she had a doe with her. She took some of the blood on her finger, and put it up to my nose. My instincts kicked in as the smell invaded my senses. I could resist no longer, and she let me out of my bind. I immediately went to the doe, and sucked her dry. While I was feeding, she began to tell me about herself, how she found me, and offered for me to come along with her and join her coven."

"So Alice was the first person to ever show you any kindness?" Bella asked quietly. She looked away from Danielle; she couldn't blame her for falling in love with Alice.

"Yes. She showed me such kindness, the Cullens were so caring and it was unlike anything I ever experienced before. I didn't mind feeding off animals, and I came to learn that being immortal wasn't all that bad with companions by my side. Things with Alice progressed slowly, I liked her, and she showed signs of liking me. Please tell me if I'm saying too much. I don't want to upset you…" Danielle trailed off.

Bella shook her head, although she didn't want to hear about her girlfriend falling in love with Danielle, she still wanted to know. "Go on…I'm fine."

"We had all moved to Alaska for the first time, and I was excited because I've never been anywhere off the mainland states. Alaska was such a beautiful place, and Alice was eager to tell me everything about it. Once we were settled in our new home with the Denali coven, Alice shared a room with me, which only made things more exciting. She didn't play coy, and was quick with her advances. One night, we were looking at the sky, admiring the seldom clear night, and tried finding where all the constellations were. She kissed me, and I kissed her back."

Jealously flooded Bella's mind as she replayed Danielle's last sentence like a broken record inside her head. Alice moved on without any idea Bella was out there aching for this girl. Danielle had taken her place without knowing it. It wasn't her fault; it wasn't anyone's fault the girls were pulled apart. It just hurt to know she didn't have a proper relationship with Alice. She was hers first, that's the way it was supposed to be forever. "And then five years later she broke your heart?" Bella asked in a whisper.

Danielle did something unusual for a vampire and sighed, causing Bella to look back into her eyes. "I knew it was coming. By that time she had told me about her visions of you, and I knew deep down inside that it never really would work out between us. I loved her dearly; she was the first person to show me what love was supposed to be. I was jealous of you before you even came into our lives. You were the reason we didn't last, but then again, I was the woman that took her away from you. She was never mine to begin with…Alice was always yours."

Bella was honestly surprised by Danielle's confession. "I never thought I would see her again. I vowed to never love again, knowing that my Mary Alice was dead. There is no other on the face of the planet that I could love. Forgive me if I'm jealous that you had more time with her than I ever did."

"I may have had five years with her, but you have all eternity to spend with her now. I am only a small part of the life the two of you will have together. I will never come between you and Alice, even if my old feelings may resurface from time to time. I know Alice is only truly happy with you. Her happiness is because of you; you are the key to her heart. Although we were in a relationship, there was always coldness to her. She was guarding herself from me, but that's not the case with you. It's like she is a brand new person since you came along. I want you to know that I'll try my best to stay clear from getting in the way of your relationship with her. I do like you Bella; you seem like a great girl. I know I don't have to say this, but please don't ever break Alice's heart."

Bella's jealousy subsided, Danielle was being completely honest and the things she had to say made her feel better about where she stood with Alice. "I'd never hurt Alice. I have eyes for only her, and will guard her heart with my life."

Danielle believed Bella, there wasn't a doubt in her mind. This girl was head over heels in love with Alice, and would never harm her in any way. "Good…I believe you."

"I'm glad we had this talk and were able to clear up some things. Now I don't have to hate you." Bella teased.

Unsure of what to say next, Danielle turned to her television in an attempt to move on from this conversation. "Can I show you something?"

…

Meanwhile down the hall in Alice's room, she was about to show Maggie something no one else had seen yet. Alice wanted to make sure Maggie knew that she needed to back off without saying it flat out. She wanted to give Maggie a chance before she let her claws out. The red head was stubborn though, and played like she had no idea what was going on.

Maggie sat on Alice's bed, slightly nervous because she didn't know what Alice was planning. She took her up to her room, but Maggie only sat in silence while Alice was searching for something in her closet. Her eyes shifted around the room, and examined the details while also trying to find a quick exit if things got too out of hand. She didn't think Alice would attack her, but then again, she never knew. She had seen Alice fight before, and was glad she wasn't the victim…yet.

"So Maggie, I'm sure you must be wondering why I brought you up here." Alice said from inside her closet. The door blocked Maggie's view, but she could hear Alice moving things around.

Maggie grabbed the bed sheets in her fist, and played with the fabric to alleviate some of the stress she was feeling inside. "Indeed I am…you've never invited me up here before."

Alice laughed, causing Maggie to flinch because she thought Alice was going to start yelling any second now. "Well that's true, but I figured since you knew Bella, and she is my girlfriend now, maybe we could get to know each other better." She poked her head from around the corner and gave Maggie a comforting smile.

"Okay…" Maggie said, contemplating if Alice was plotting her murder in the closet, or if she was being genuine. Her senses told her that she could trust Alice, and that she wasn't lying. Still, something kept her on edge.

Alice went back into the closet, making noise and shuffling things on purpose just to waste time and get Maggie worried. She knew the poor girl was terrified of her, but still thought it was funny to make her wait. The thing she wanted to show Maggie was in her pocket all along, and she thought for sure that this would get Maggie to back off.

"Now Maggie I have a secret I want to share with you. Are you good at keeping secrets?" Alice asked from inside the closet.

"I'd like to think I am." A fear stricken Maggie replied.

"Good, I'm glad. Now Maggie I'm trusting you, I don't want you to tell anyone about what I'm about to show you. Otherwise, I'll be angry." Alice smiled to herself, and then decided to walk out of the closet.

"I promise I won't tell anyone your secret." Maggie's eyes widened when Alice approached her.

Alice shuffled around in her pocket and finally pulled out a small black box, and stuck it in front of Maggie's face. "Look at it."

Hesitantly, Maggie extended her arm and took the box out of Alice's resting hand. She was able to calm down a bit when she saw the look of joy in Alice's face, realizing that she was just being silly by fearing the pixie. She opened the box, and saw the most brilliant ring she had ever set her eyes on.

"It's beautiful." The diamonds were shining against her blood red eyes.

"I'm going to ask Bella to marry me." Alice replied in a dreamy voice. She wasn't looking at Maggie anymore. It was as if Alice had a vision of their future together, and Maggie watched as her face turned peaceful.

"When?" Maggie replied. Usually people say congratulations, or wish them luck, but not Maggie.

"After we defeat James and Victoria. It has to be absolutely perfect. I know it might be soon to most people, but I've waited forever for this girl, and so has she." Alice replied. Thoughts of Bella flooded her mind and soon she couldn't wait to see her again. In fact, Alice wanted to see her right now. It was as if Alice had turned into a kid in a candy store, she immediately wanted to touch, feel, lick, taste, and eat Bella. How could she stand to be apart from Bella anymore? She wanted to spend every second of her existence with Bella right beside her. No one else could compare to her, no one else ever would.

Maggie smiled weakly, and handed the box back to Alice. "Hopefully you don't die then." She got up quietly and made her way toward the door, suddenly uninterested in anything Alice had to say. She knew Alice and Bella loved each other dearly; there was no lying about that. However, the love Bella showed for Alice made her envious. She wanted someone to be devoted to her like that; she wanted her one true love. She was only after Bella so much because she is the only person Maggie ever met that showed such devotion and love, even when she thought her love was dead. It was undying loyalty, and Maggie could only imagine what it was like to have someone like that.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me Maggie. I'm going to be fine." Alice followed Maggie out of her room with a smile on her face. She was happy, and felt as if nothing could get in the way.

"Remind me to congratulate you then when we're all safe and sound." Maggie quickened her pace and made her way downstairs. Alice stood at the top of the stairs and watched as the red head walked toward Liam, and tried conversing with him. She looked at Alice one last time, and then turned her full attention to Liam.

"You scared the hell out of her." Edward said from behind.

Alice turned to meet Edward with a smile, "I had to do something to try and get her to leave Bella alone. It's not my fault if she's scared of me now."

"She's not happy with your plans, but I have a feeling you already know this." Edward stopped himself from revealing more in case anyone happened to be listening in.

"I know she isn't. Are you?" Alice questioned.

"If you're happy, and you make her happy. Then I am happy for you."

She wasn't expecting an answer like that. He was being kind, although she could see the bittersweet smile he carried. "I know what you're thinking, but at least I'm not as attached as Maggie. I would watch out for her."

"Of course, I'm sure no matter what she does; she could never have Bella as her own. She should realize this." Alice looked back down the stairs, and Maggie was nowhere to be found.

"I think that would be very wise of her." Edward agreed.

"Have you seen Bella? I don't see her down there anywhere." Alice scanned the view downstairs multiple times, and couldn't find Bella. She wanted to find her now; she needed to have her.

"Oh yes, she's with Danielle in her room." Edward smiled, and made his way downstairs, ignoring the look of horror plastered on Alice's face.

_Oh God, what happened? _She thought as she made her way to Danielle's room. She could hear yelling from the distance and moved faster when she realized it was Bella's voice who was screaming.

She pushed open the door, causing it to crash into the wall, expecting to see Bella tearing out Danielle's hair, but stopped when she saw something entirely different. Her jaw almost dropped at the sight before her.

"Danielle that's not fair!" Bella shouted with laughter at the television in front of her. Alice looked on, dumbstruck to see Danielle and Bella playing video games together.

Bella caught sight of Alice and smiled, "Look Alice, I have a yellow Porsche like yours in the game! Danielle keeps beating me though, but only because I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

"You'll learn eventually." Danielle said with a smile, watching Alice carefully to see if this was okay.

Alice covered her mouth and laughed, she would have never guessed that this is what they were doing. "Are you having fun baby?"

Bella nodded her head and stood up, suddenly uninterested in the game. Alice couldn't resist anymore, and walked over towards Bella quickly. She was about to say something but Alice captured her lips against her own before she could speak. Danielle rolled her eyes and smiled as she looked away from the pair. Bella wrapped her arms around Alice's neck, and she grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. A soft moan escaped Bella's lips when Alice deepened the kiss.

"You know that you two have a perfectly good room down the hall, don't you?" Danielle teased.

Alice smiled and pulled away, "I'm sorry Danielle, I had no idea what was going on in here. I just heard Bella shouting and ran in."

Danielle looked at her door that was smashed against her wall. "I can see that."

"I missed you Alice. We were just talking." Bella pulled herself against Alice's chest.

"Oh I know my angel. Come on, I think we need a little break from all this. Danielle, I'll be at Bella's house if anyone asks. I'll fix your door when I come back." Alice said with a smile.

"It was nice talking to you Danielle." Bella said before they left.

Danielle nodded her head, "Anytime Bella."

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><p><strong>Next Chapter: Bella and Alice reminisce. Thanks for reading.<strong>


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Just to give warning, there is some sexual content in this chapter. I originally didn't intend for content of that nature, but it's just too fun to write. For those who want to skip over it, I'll warn you when it's about to happen, and I promise you won't miss anything except for that particular scene. I wanted to give the girls a little time for themselves and bring back some romance. I hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

><p>The next couple of weeks passed as if there never really was a threat to begin with. The Cullen's guests were becoming restless, and had contemplating leaving. If there was no visible threat, and the Cullens weren't seeking James and Victoria, then what was the point of staying and waiting? The Amazonian tribe that had come on Carlisle's word alone, but when they saw no threat, they decided to go back home. Carlisle was afraid that this was the plan Victoria and James were using, wait long enough and his army will go home. They had moved too fast, and the enemy caught on. Without any sign of a threat, what was the point of being there? The Irish coven was the next to question if there was even a point of being there, Maggie especially wanted to leave, but for a different reason.<p>

There had to be a way to get James and Victoria to show themselves, the newborn Matthew wasn't enough proof for anyone to want to stay. He could've come from anywhere. Carlisle needed a strategy to get them to show themselves, there needed to be a reason for them to come out of hiding. They needed bait.

Carlisle reached out to the Volturi on several occasions, seeking aid but never receiving a reply. Finally Carlisle was able to get a hold of Aro over the phone, much to Aro's displeasure. Of course, the conversation they had wasn't really worth the trouble Carlisle went through to contact him. Aro had brushed aside the threat Carlisle mentioned, claiming that no rogue group of vampires could outsmart the Cullens, and that they would be fine fending for themselves. The Volturi wouldn't waste their time with idle threats.

The Cullens were expecting this, if anything, the only time the Volturi would show up is to clean up the mess left behind and rejoice in the loss of life. They wanted the Cullens to die, leaving only the strong behind. Aro and his group would offer the rest of the Cullen coven a position with the Volturi, which is what he always wanted. Basically, the Cullens had to fend for themselves. Their guests were dwindling and Jacob's pack hadn't seen any sign of vampires in the area. It was as if James and Victoria had dropped off the face of the earth, or perhaps they were so stealthy no one would see them coming.

This is what Carlisle was most afraid of, that the enemy would attack when everyone least expected it. James and Victoria wanted to attack when they weren't prepared, making for an easier fight. Carlisle told everyone to be on edge, that the attack could happen any minute now, but nothing ever happened. His house guests were bored and wanted to go home, so they needed to get a plan in motion and quick. Even his family stopped preparing for a fight; what was the point if there wasn't immediate danger? They had never even seen James or Victoria before. Matthew was taken down quite easily by Jacob's pack, and he converted just as quick. Maybe James and Victoria weren't as fearsome as once thought.

He had a plan in his head, he knew it would lure out James and Victoria without a doubt, but wasn't sure he wanted to risk anyone's life over it. He hadn't mentioned his plan to anyone except Esme, who was completely against it, but knew it would be the only chance at getting the upper hand. Someone needed to confront them, act as if they were all alone, which would bring them out of hiding. James and Victoria needed to see someone they really hated, and the only person they could think of was Bella. She had to be the one to bring out their enemies; she had to be on the frontline all by herself. The only problem was Carlisle couldn't get himself to ask her. Alice would hate it, no one would like it, but it was the best shot they had. Alice just found love with Bella, she was finally happy. What if Bella couldn't outrun the newborns?

"How can I ask her to risk her life?" Carlisle questioned, turning to a concerned Esme.

"Just give them some time to themselves. It hasn't been easy on the girls lately, just let them have today. We can talk to Bella tomorrow; I'm sure Alice will catch on to our plan if she hasn't already. Bella's a fighter; she'll make it through without a scratch." Esme responded, placing her hand on top of his.

Carlisle nodded, and gave his wife a quick kiss on the lips. "You're right, as always."

…

Alice and Bella spent their days playing the facade of cousins and going to school as they supposed to. Alice offered their house guests her room during their stay; it gave her an excuse to spend more time at Bella's house. The girls had become inseparable, wherever Alice was; Bella was right behind her and vice versa. Their escape to Bella's house made them forget about the threat that loomed over their heads. However, Bella often wondered when their honeymoon would be crushed, and when reality would step back in.

The days were cold and wet as they often were in the winter. Christmas was making its way around the corner, and winter break just started at school. This would give the girls more time to themselves, which they both were looking forward to. They hadn't seen one another for almost a century, and struggled to find time where they could be completely alone. Christmas would give them the perfect opportunity.

Alice was waiting in her car in the school parking lot, Bella was taking her sweet time and she didn't know what for. Her heater was blowing in her face and the CD she was playing was a slow jazz mix. Although it was unnecessary for her to have the heater on, she liked putting it to use. The warm air was comforting. While she waited, she tried to busy herself. Alice looked down at her black pea coat and brushed a few drops of water off. She took a look in her rear view mirror, checking her flawless complexion to make sure her makeup wasn't running. Her hair was slightly damp, but she put her head closer to the heater and used it as a make shift blow dryer. Alice normally wouldn't have been so fussy with her looks…okay she would, but this time was extra special. Alice was taking Bella on a date, and she hadn't told her where to. It was a surprise, and couldn't wait to see what Bella thought of it.

She looked out the window of her Porsche, and finally saw Bella walking toward her. She was wearing a long, tan trench coat with a black dress underneath. Alice bought this dress specifically for Bella to wear tonight, she thought she would look beautiful in it, and she was right. Boy was she right. All the boys in school and even a few girls turned heads when Bella walked passed them. However Bella was having a hard time walking in the heels Alice had given her, even though she was a vampire and was supposed to be graceful, Bella had to walk a lot slower than what she was used to. It began to drizzle, and Bella's hair got wet, causing it to become wild and unruly. This only served to turn Alice on more as she waited patiently in the car for her girlfriend.

Bella was only a few feet before she reached the passenger door of Alice's Porsche, but was stopped when Ms. Moore called out her name. "Ms. Swan, hold on a minute!"

Alice and Bella met each others gaze, and Bella smirked before turning around to meet Ms. Moore. With an umbrella in her hand, Ms. Moore shaded the view Alice had of Bella, probably on purpose. Whatever she was going to say to Bella, she didn't want anyone to hear it.

Ms. Moore stared at Bella with lust in her eyes; she had been doing so the entire day. When Bella walked into her class that morning, it looked as if she was going to pounce on top of her right in the middle of class.

Alice had the urge to get out of the car and confront Ms. Moore, but then their whole cousin act would be revealed. Although Ms. Moore had shaded their view, she could still hear everything they were saying.

"Hey, Ms. Moore. I hope you have a wonderful holiday." Bella said kindly.

Ms. Moore came closer to Bella, "Why thank you Bella. You know, you may call me Jennifer. When we're not in class, that is." She laughed and poked Bella in the stomach only to realize she was rock hard.

"Oh heavens, you must work out." Ms. Moore adjusted her collar because she suddenly felt hot. Her eyes wandered up and down the length of Bella's body, imagining what she looked like underneath that tight, black dress.

Bella smiled awkwardly, "Was there something you wanted to say…Jennifer? Alice is waiting for me, and I don't want to keep her. She gets incredibly grumpy when I make her wait for it…I mean for me."

Alice laughed; obviously Bella was trying to tease her.

"Oh yes…I wanted to give you a Christmas card. I also wanted to say you looked really nice today. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were my age and not my student…" Ms. Moore pulled out a red envelope from underneath her coat, and handed it to Bella. "But you can't open this in front of anyone. What's inside is to be our little secret, okay?" Ms. Moore winked.

Bella was caught off guard; she wasn't expecting Ms. Moore to be so serious. She thought it was just an attraction her teacher had for Bella, but there must've been something more in Ms. Moore's eyes.

"Alight, thank you Ms. Moore, I'm sorry I don't have anything to give you."

"Oh, you've given me more than enough already. Have a merry Christmas. I'll see you next year." Ms. Moore finally walked away and left Bella staring after her with the card in her hand.

Alice rolled down her window on the passenger side, trying to get Bella's attention, "Bella come on already. We're going to be late. Don't want to keep the ladies waiting!" Shouting loud enough so Ms. Moore would hear her. Their teacher turned around quickly, and Bella shrugged with a lopsided grin to make her appear more natural, and got in the car. Alice threw the car into reverse, and peeled out of the parking lot, leaving a confused Ms. Moore behind.

"Alice, why did you have to say that?" Bella asked as she stuck her wet hair in front of the heater so it would dry quicker.

"Oh Bella come on, you were playing with her too. What does her card say?" Alice asked, changing to subject.

"You realize that only gives her more of a reason to try and talk to me now. She's a teacher; she could be getting herself into serious trouble. I may be seventy years older than her, but I'm still her student! And besides, she told me not to open this in front of anyone." Bella stuck her tongue out playfully.

Alice stared ahead at the road in front of her, not saying a word. A minute passed and Bella thought the conversation was dropped. Without warning, Alice snatched the card away from Bella's lap and tore the envelope open all while driving peacefully down the road. "Normally I love it when you stick your tongue out for me, but now you're just being annoying. If only Ms. Moore knew your real age, and that you belonged to me... well she'd still probably think you were a sexy grandma." Alice teased as she scanned the card inside.

Bella pouted and waited for Alice to tell her what was inside the card. Instead, she was faced with silence. After a few seconds of silence passed, Alice handed over the card for Bella to look for herself.

_ To Ms. Bella Swan,_

_May you have a Merry Christmas, filled with love and joy. Don't forget about me over the holiday break, I know I won't forget about you in that little black dress._

_Jennifer_

_P.S. I'm counting the days until you graduate._

Bella looked up from the card. "Is she insane?"

"Yes, I believe so." Alice's smile returned to her features.

"What's going happen when I graduate? Is she going to be waiting for me off the stage?"

"Probably. She might even have a big net to trap you in and take you home." Alice laughed, but noticed Bella wasn't laughing with her.

"I'm just playing with you Bella, relax. She won't get offended if you deny her advances, she might be a little wounded, but she should know better. However, if I were your teacher…I think I'd be a lot worse than Ms. Moore." Alice reached over and placed her hand on Bella's leg, still covered by her trench coat.

Bella nodded her head and felt moisture beginning to grow between her legs. Not wanting to talk about Ms. Moore anymore, Bella placed the card in the back seat; giving her full attention to Alice. "So, where are we going?"

"I can't tell you silly. You'll just have to find out when we get there." Alice winked.

"Come on Alice, you know I don't like surprises. Just tell me, please?" Bella watched Alice closely. The pixie looked absolutely stunning in her black pea coat and khaki dress pants. The white shirt beneath her pea coat peeked out at the collar. This kind of attire was unusual for Alice to wear, usually she was the one in the dress and Bella was the one in slacks. Bella wanted to know where they were going, and why Alice had requested Bella to wear such a flaunting dress. Alice wasn't going to tell her though, no matter how much she begged or pleaded. Suddenly, a wicked idea popped into Bella's head, and she started playing with the buttons on her trench coat.

"No Bella, I can't…."Alice trailed off, suddenly distracted by Bella unbuttoning her trench coat. "What _are_ you doing?"

"Trying to get this wet trench coat off of me." Bella unbuttoned most of the top, revealing her snow white cleavage. A few beads of water remained on Bella's chest, and they slowly slid down into the dark fabric. Alice licked her lips, and tried to keep her mind on the road. She would have to pay for this later, oh yes she would

"Bella, sweetie, you have to stop doing that. Unless you want me to crash my pretty car…or if you want us to be late." The thought of pulling her car over seemed more appealing the further Bella revealed herself.

"But I'm all wet Alice. How am I supposed to get dry?" Bella groaned, making it sound an awful lot like a moan.

The shorter girls grip tightened on the steering wheel, and she floored it. They needed to get to Seattle by seven, and if Bella kept teasing her, they may never get there. Alice turned the heater on full blast, turning all the vents on Bella, who sat there pouting in her seat. Alice wasn't going to play with her, wherever they were going, it seemed highly important.

"I'll get you back for this Bella. You just wait until tonight." Alice promised.

"Goodness me!" Bella exclaimed with laughter. She couldn't wait.

The rest of the car ride was filled with small talk and playful banter. There was no mention of James or Victoria, tonight was theirs, and theirs alone. Alice was able to get Jacob and his pack to keep an eye on Bella's house to make sure no intruders came while they were gone, Carlisle promised not to tell anyone where the girls were going; everything was taken care of. When Bella saw Seattle from a distance, Alice demanded her to put on a blindfold so she couldn't see where they were going.

"Come on Alice, I want to see." Bella faked annoyance. The gesture was actually quite romantic.

"Just do it for me baby. I promise it'll be worth it."

Fifteen minutes passed before Bella felt the car finally coming to a stop. The scent of blood was all around Bella, and she could hear people talking from a distance. Doors were slamming, and people were laughing. They were somewhere exciting; Bella could feel the energy in the air.

Alice got out of her Porsche and escorted Bella to a certain spot on the ground and stopped. There were people all around her, but she could sense they were far enough away from public view for not many people to notice them.

"Now tell me Bella, since you love reading so much, you must have read _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, _right? Or at least seen the film adaptation?" Alice whispered huskily in Bella's ear.

Bella smiled, "I love the book, and the movie was magical."

"Have you ever heard of _Wicked_? It's a musical based in the Land of Oz"

Bella felt the tie on the blindfold begin to unravel, and slowly her eyesight returned. In front of Bella stood an old fashioned theater, the title of the play, _Wicked_, displayed in large, black letters. "I've never heard of it before…"Bella trailed off, caught up in the glamor of the old theater. It reminded her of a better time in her life; she felt nostalgic.

"I think you'll love it. Come on." Alice grabbed Bella's hand and led the way to the theatre entrance. All eyes were on the two women as Alice handed the ushers her front row tickets. They took their coats eagerly; one of the ushers had his eyes glued to Bella's body. Her black dress was stunning, and clung to her body in all the right places. Alice looked on, hardly believing that this girl was hers. Bella looked at Alice once her coat was off, and realized she dressed up in a period outfit. If Bella had to describe it, she would say Alice looked like an old detective, with her white collared shirt, brown suspenders and khaki pants. Now all she needed was a fedora, and the outfit would be complete.

"Alice…you look so…different. I'm the one that usually wears the pants." Bella linked hands with Alice once more as they made their way to their seats.

"Not tonight. I thought it would be nice to have a little role reversal. You're gorgeous in that dress by the way. No one can take their eyes off you." Alice pulled Bella close by her side, unafraid to show everyone that she belonged to her.

The girls took their seats quietly; Bella clung to Alice's side, obviously excited for the show to begin. "You know Alice; I've never actually seen a play before."

"Never?" Alice was surprised.

Bella shook her head, "No, but I'm glad my first time is with you."

"You're going to love it angel. It's quite magical." Alice kissed her against the cheek just as the lights dimmed and the show started.

Alice wasn't as interested in watching the play as she was watching Bella's reaction. Her face showed such joy, such happiness she rarely saw in Bella. She clung to Alice's arm the entire time, often finding Alice's eyes looking into her own. During intermission, the girls just sat there, staring at each other. It was as if no one else existed in the world except the two of them in that moment. There was no James or Victoria, no Danielle or Edward. Just Bella and Alice. Mary Alice and Isabella, as it always should've been.

"I love you Alice."

"And I love you, Bella." Alice raised Bella's hand up to her lips and kissed her palm gently.

Bella's smile became permanent after the start of the second act. The music, the acting, and her girlfriend by her side…it was all so wonderful. Nothing could compare to a night like this. Had Bella died and gone to heaven? Is this what her heaven looked like? Spent with Alice for all eternity, just being near each other. If she could spend the rest of her existence with Alice, she would be forever happy.

The play ended eventually, and Bella assumed they would make their way back to Forks. It was too short of a time, but she had enjoyed it greatly. The girls picked up their coats, and made their way back to Alice's Porsche in the pouring down rain. She held the passenger door open for Bella, and shut it securely once Bella was inside. A smile was plastered on her face when she entered the driver's side of her car, and was met by Bella's hungry lips against her own.

"That was amazing Alice. Thank you so much."

"The night is still young Bella. There's another place I want to show you."

"Do I have to wear the blindfold again?"'

"Only if you want to. We can always save the blindfold for later."

"Where are you taking me now?"

"You'll see. It's actually not that far from here. There's a reason why I dressed this way, but I want you to see for yourself." Alice winked.

Within ten minutes, Alice pulled up into a rather crowded parking lot. She glanced at Bella, who was staring out of the window at the people walking by. Her eyes were glued to them not because of what they were doing, but because of what they were wearing. It was as if Bella had stepped into a time machine and went back to the 1920's.

"They're all dressed in old clothes. Look, there's one that looks like an old flapper!" Bella exclaimed, pointing at the woman walking by.

Alice laughed, "I'm taking you to a modern day speakeasy. I hope you remember how to dance."

A look of horror passed Bella's features, "I don't know how to dance."

Alice smiled knowingly, "Don't worry. I'll show you how." She got out of her car and went around to open the door for Bella. Bella stepped out, and looked at Alice who suddenly had a fedora on her head.

"Where did that come from?"

"I hid it in the backseat. Do I look the part now?" Alice lifted her head up against the street light and posed like a model.

"I'd say so." Bella took Alice's hat off and placed it on her own head.

The rain slowed enough for them to walk toward the bar without rushing. There wasn't a line of people waiting outside the bar, the only indication that there was anything there, was a young man standing by a large oak door. He was dressed in a suit matched with a bowler hat, and smiled when he saw Bella and Alice approaching.

"What's the password?" The man asked.

"Waffles" Alice said with a smile.

After stalling for a moment, the man eventually moved to open the door for the girls. Once the door opened, the sound of music and laughter invaded their senses. Alice placed a hand on Bella's lower back and escorted her inside. Once they were far enough inside, the man shut the door behind them and Bella was in awe over how authentic the bar was.

"This is incredible. I can't believe a place like this actually exists."

Alice removed Bella's trench coat for her, and handed it to the man waiting patiently beside them. She quickly handed the man her own, and wasted no time taking Bella further inside. Everyone in the bar was dressed to the nines, men in suits and ties, and women in elegant dresses. A jazz band was on stage playing nothing but classics, and the people on the dance floor were trying their best to replicate the dance moves of their grandparents.

"How did you ever find this place?" Bella asked the closer they got to the dance floor. She was watching everyone carefully, admiring their attempts at dancing the Charleston. The sound of the old timey piano and saxophone made Bella feel like she was young again.

"The internet is extremely resourceful."

"You're not the first one to tell me that."

Alice pulled Bella to her side, close enough to where they seemed glued at the hip. She looked Bella deep in her eyes and smiled. While holding Bella with one hand, Alice took the hat off her and swiftly put it on. She tilted it forward to make it seem more authentic, which made Bella laugh.

"Would you like to dance, pretty lady? I've watched you from afar and I must say; you're the cat's meow."

"I'd love to; it's just that I don't know how to dance. I need someone to lead me." Bella was already being dragged out onto the dance floor by Alice's concrete grip.

"Speak no more doll face. I'm an incredible dancer." Alice pulled Bella close, one arm around her lower back, and the other hand extended out in front of them, waiting for Bella to take hold. Bella hesitated at first, she wasn't acting. She really didn't know how to dance. Her eyes found Alice's golden orbs, and she felt immediately comforted. Alice would show her the way, so Bella took hold of her hand without another worry.

"Just allow me to lead, and we'll be fine. They're going to play a nice slow song next." Alice whispered into Bella's ear, and she was right. Five seconds had passed and the song _In a Sentimental Mood _by Duke Ellington and John Coltrane began to play. The rhythm of the piano and the saxophone made for a rather romantic and slow dance.

Alice led the way throughout the entire song, while Bella held her tight. She imagined that this is what it would have been like if they had never been changed. Mary Alice and Isabella would be dancing in their home, just the two of them, without a worry in the world. They would have lived a long and happy life together…but who was to say this couldn't be their long and happy life now? Neither of them would age, the girls literally had forever with each other. What Bella once thought was a curse; now saw it as the greatest blessing to ever happen to her.

Bella closed her eyes, inhaled Alice's scent and just enjoyed the moment. No one else existed in that moment; it was just her and Alice dancing. The short haired girl remained quiet, she let the music guide her movement, and made sure Bella was following right along with her. Bella's scent was quite intoxicating, she couldn't resist getting closer.

The girls had no intention of letting go of each other that night. Alice looked to Bella, and kissed her delicately on the lips. Bella responded eagerly and deepened the kiss. Still dancing in slow circles, the song suddenly stopped and was replaced by a more fast paced song. The _Chattanooga Choo Choo_ began playing, and the girls broke their kiss.

Bella started to laugh, "These songs aren't even from our era."

"Oh well, at least we can still enjoy ourselves." Alice started to move faster, causing Bella to laugh more. The night was becoming more entertaining as time passed. Bella never wanted it to end.

Alice spun Bella around, and caught her in a tight embrace. She began singing along with a smile, "Pardon me, boy. Is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?"

Bella only laughed harder, she never saw Alice sing, not even when she was human. This was a rare sight indeed. She could tell Alice was happy. She was finally free from her old life as the scared daughter of a murderous father, she now had a family who loved her and supported her no matter what. Alice had the love of her life in her arms; nothing could take her happiness away. Alice had never felt more alive than she did in this moment.

"I love you Alice…even when you're silly like this.".

"Well I'm glad to hear my singing hasn't scared you off."

"Nothing will ever drive me away from you."

The song changed to an even faster pace, and Alice followed suit as she picked up her own tempo, and spun Bella around even faster. _Comin' Home Baby _by Mel Torme seemed quite the ironic song to have started playing when it did.

The girls spent the next couple of hours dancing, some songs were slow, some were fast, but the only thing that seemed to matter is that the two girls were together. Midnight came, and Alice finally asked if Bella was ready to go back home.

Bella didn't want the fun to end, and Alice could tell what she was thinking. "Just because we go home doesn't mean the night is over. We can still have plenty of fun, just the two of us." Alice suggested.

The thought caused Bella to perk up instantly, "I'd love that."

Without further word, Alice led Bella off the dance floor. They passed several other dancers who had grown tired and sweaty over the course of the night. The girls still looked flawless. Alice grabbed their coats from the gentleman, and together they made their way back outside. The bouncer was leaning up against the wall, and perked up when the girls walked out.

"Did you enjoy yourselves?" He questioned with a smile.

"Oh yes. I'm sure we'll be back again." Alice answered and escorted Bella back to her car.

Once they were both situated in the car, Alice didn't waste any time going back to Forks. Since it was so late at night, Alice could get away with going as fast as she pleased. "I don't know about you, but I could go for a nice, long bath when we get home. What about you?" the pixie suggested.

"Sounds wonderful, my love."

…

**Sexual Content ahead**

Alice pulled into Bella's driveway around two in the morning. All was quiet, and it seemed Jacob's pack got the hint and left before they got out of the car. The lingering scent of dog invaded their senses when they got out, but chose to ignore it. Alice wanted to thank Jacob but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Her thank you would just have to wait.

The girls locked hands and wasted no time going to their destination. Bella unlocked her door, and went straight for her bedroom. Alice ran after her playfully as Bella led the way through the bedroom and to her bathroom. It was a simple bathroom, a sink, toilet, and antique bathtub filled most of the space. Bella recently had her bathtub remodeled and made to look brand new, which was a very good thing for a moment like this.

Alice appeared behind Bella, and slowly began kissing her neck. She started working on getting Bella's dress off her gorgeous body. Her hands gripped Bella's shoulders, and pushed the straps down the length of her arms, slowly revealing Bella's chest. She wasn't wearing a bra, and Alice was met with her bare breasts. The pixie continued to roll the dress down the length of Bella's body, and pushed extra hard when she finally got to her waist. Bella shut her eyes, just enjoying the feeling of Alice's hands on her body.

Delicately, Alice moved Bella's legs up so she could step out of the dress. The only thing that was on her body now was Bella's simple black panties. Alice was now eye level with Bella's sex since she was leaning down to pick up the dress, and she lingered there for a moment. "What are these doing here? They need to come off…right now." And with a simple flick of her wrist, Bella's panties tore off her body, and she was left naked.

"Much better." Alice said before she leaned in to kiss Bella right on the top of her sex. However, before she got too carried away, and just to tease Bella, Alice turned her attention to the bathtub. She moved away from her girlfriend, much to Bella's displeasure. The water had not been drawn yet, so she turned the faucet on as hot as she could get. She searched around for bubble bath, completely ignoring Bella's lustful stare. Once she found what she was looking for, Alice poured a few drops into the water, and bubbles started spreading around the water like wildfire.

Alice sensed movement from behind, and smiled to herself. However she wasn't expecting Bella to be so rough. She grabbed Alice's suspenders from behind and lifted her body off the ground. Bella had Alice cradled like a baby in her arms in no time, and Alice couldn't help but laugh at the way she picked her up. "I didn't think my suspenders would be used like that." She said cheekily.

Bella had a mischievous glint in her eyes, and said nothing. Suddenly Alice felt a vision coming of what Bella was about to do, but before she had time to react it was too late. Bella dropped Alice into the bathtub full of water, still fully clothed. Alice couldn't believe it; Bella just threw her in the water. Water splashed about and fell on the bathroom floor in a large puddle, but Bella didn't care. There she was, laughing at Alice in her birthday suit. All that remained on her were those ridiculously large heels Alice forced her to wear that night.

The pixie emerged from the water with a scowl on her face. She wanted revenge, and she saw the opportunity in Bella's heels.

"You look so adorable Alice." Bella said in-between laughter.

Alice grabbed Bella by the leg and pulled her hard enough to make her lose her balance on her heels, causing her to fall into the bathtub, right on top of Alice's lap. Bella's body caused yet another splash, making bubbles and water fly everywhere. The faucet was still running, filling up the tub to maximum capacity. Alice reached behind her and turned off the faucets, never taking her eyes off Bella who finally took off her shoes and tossed them on the bathroom floor.

"Are you going to help me out of these wet clothes?' Alice asked from beneath Bella.

Bella crawled on top of Alice, trapping her with her naked, wet body. Her arms held Alice securely in the tub while she pressed her body against her. Her hair dipped into the water as she rubbed her body against Alice's clothed one. She dipped her mouth in the water, and found Alice's chest. Slowly planting kisses on her girlfriend, Bella moved her way up Alice's neck, to her jaw line, and eventually to her lips. Alice eagerly attacked Bella's welcoming lips, and deepened the kiss while her hands roamed Bella's body. Her hands wrapped around Bella's backside and brought grabbed her buttocks, and brought her as close as she could get. The pressure on Alice's sex caused her to moan against Bella's lips. She could feel Bella smiling, which made her want her more.

Bella started to play with the buttons on Alice's shirt. Finding it somewhat of a long process to sit there and unbutton her shirt, she decided just to rip it open. In one swift movement, Alice's bra and snow white stomach was revealed. Bella moved her hands around Alice's back and quickly undid the strap to her bra. She didn't want to destroy the bra; it was one of her favorites. The fabric lifted up off of Alice's body just enough to get what she wanted. Still strapped around Alice's arms, Bella pushed aside the bra, and met Alice's lips once more. One hand roamed her breasts, while her other worked hard on unbuttoning Alice's slacks. Once she was able to get the button off, the rest was a piece of cake. Immediately Bella's hand went beneath the fabric of her slacks and panties, and found her sweet spot.

She stared at Alice, who was waiting expectantly for Bella to give it her all, but instead of going straight for what Alice wanted, Bella started teasing her. She touched her lightly on the clitoris, which in return caused Alice to buck her hips upwards and against Bella's body. Bella pulled back her hand and looked into Alice's eyes. They were filled with lust as she stared up into Bella's own golden orbs. The pixie was oddly quiet, which was unusual for her.

"Cat got your tongue, Alice?" Bella whispered.

"Please…please Bella." Alice moaned when Bella's finger brushed up against her clitoris once more.

"Please what?"

"Touch me. I need you to touch me."

"Like this?" Bella ran her index finger up the length of Alice's entrance, and pulled back again.

"Yes, please Bella. Don't make me beg." Alice whimpered. She reached out for Bella's hand in order for her to start again, but Bella pulled away.

"No darling, you just relax. Let me do all the work." Bella moved her hand back to Alice's entrance, and this time inserted her index finger.

Alice immediately cried out in pleasure, and pulled Bella against her as hard as she could. Bella began a slow rhythm with her hand as she planted kisses on Alice's neck. Their bodies began rocking with each thrust Bella gave. She inserted another finger and listened to the soft moans that escaped Alice's lips. The water in the bathtub began moving along with them, bubbles and water were now sloshing around and spilling out onto the floor. Bella's thrusts became more forceful and Alice's moans were increasing in sound. Bella kissed Alice against her lips, but that didn't stop her from moaning against her mouth.

It didn't take long for Alice to reach her climax; she had been waiting for this moment all night. Her orgasm came rather fast, but lasted for what seemed like forever. The feeling of Bella's finger's inside of her, the proximity of their bodies, the fact that Bella was warm and naked above her, the urgency of their lovemaking…everything made it that much better. Alice gripped Bella's waist, and cried in pleasure as her orgasm came rushing into her body. It started in her center, and quickly spread throughout her body. She began trembling from the pleasure she felt, and held onto Bella for dear life.

Once the feeling had passed, Alice looked into Bella's eyes. She didn't know what to say; everything was so perfect, so right. "I love you so much Bella. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." The love she felt made her feel like she was on the verge of tears, but that was impossible. It was overwhelming to feel this much love for the woman above her.

"I love you too Alice. I always have."

The girls kissed, until Alice flipped Bella over so that her back was now pressed up against Alice's chest. She held her close and whispered into her ear, "I think it's time for me to pay you back now."

Her hands roamed beneath Bella's belly button, and finally reached the spot she was seeking. Bella let out a cry of pleasure, and the girls started all over again.

It was a very long and wonderful night indeed. One the girls would never forget for all eternity.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading. Next Chapter: Something is missing.  
><strong>


	22. Chapter 22

The girls spent the rest of the night in Bella's bed, enjoying each other's company. The morning light began to seep through the blinds, bringing their beautiful night to a close. Sunlight, as rare and unusual as it was in Forks, slowly fell against Alice's back. She shimmered like a brilliant diamond, and Bella was struck speechless from the beauty. Sunshine radiated against Alice's body, causing a dark silhouette to appear in front of Bella. It was as if she was glowing, orange rays of light and the reflection of diamonds kept Bella's gaze glued to her girlfriend. Alice sat up beside Bella, allowing the sunlight hit the edge of her face and making her look like an angel descending from heaven, with the calm orange light cascading around her. Bella felt the warmth of the sunlight touch her own face; she hadn't felt the sun against her for quite some time.

"You look like an angel." Bella whispered, leaning into Alice and kissed her against the stomach. Her lips lingered against Alice's soft skin.

"But you're my angel." Alice moved her hand down Bella's face and stroked her jaw gently.

The clothes she had on the night before were soaked, so Alice had to wait for them to finish drying before she could put them back on. She had no problem being nude around Bella though. In fact, she preferred it this way.

"If I had it my way, you'd never be allowed to wear clothes again." Alice gazed at Bella's flawless body, desire evident in her eyes.

"I think people would start to notice if I had to walk around naked all the time."

"Nonsense…they would understand. What kind of monster would want to put clothes on a body like yours?" Alice teased. She leaned in for another taste of her lover's lips.

"You want to know something Alice?"

"What's that?"

"I'll never get tired of kissing you…I've dreamed of the moment I'd be able to kiss your lips again. I thought if heaven really did exist, you'd be waiting there for me, until the day my miserable existence ended. You'd be there in your white sundress, just like you were wearing the first time we kissed. Your perfect lips would belong to me again, forever and ever. I feel like I'm in heaven right now Alice. It's almost too good to be true. Sometimes I'm afraid if I touch you, you'll vanish."

"I'm not going anywhere honey. I'm right here, and I'll never let you go. This isn't heaven, its real life. A life where you and I can live forever in each other's arms, where we can finally have all those dreams we had in our human life come true." Alice reached out for Bella's hand and placed it against her cheek, kissing it lightly.

Bella's calm expression was now replaced by one of worry. "How do I know you'll always be safe? I can't handle it if you die Alice. If you die, I die too. I can't go back to being a shell of a person, I won't."

"I'm not going to die Bella. I promise you I won't. We will get through this, and we will live the rest of eternity together. You just have to think positive. No one is going to die."

"Can you be so sure? I mean, haven't you seen anything in your visions? Maybe Jake is still blocking you, but what I don't understand is why can't you see anything about our future? Is there nothing at all that you've seen? Don't you think you should be worried about that? I mean if you can't see a future with us in it, then does that mean we're going to die?" Bella asked, sitting up from her position on the bed.

And as if on cue, Alice felt a vision coming on. The last thing she saw was Bella's concerned expression, and then she blacked out.

"_We've come up with an idea to bring out James and Victoria from hiding, but it's not exactly safe." Carlisle's voice came in quiet at first, his image was blurry._

"_What is it? I'm ready to do anything to get this over with." Alice heard herself ask. Her surroundings slowly became clearer._

_Silence filled the room momentarily as Carlisle tried to think of the right way to phrase his plan._

"_We need someone to go in as bait in order to lure out James and Victoria. I have a feeling they know we have people waiting for them to attack, and it seems they plan to lay low until everyone is convinced there's no threat and leave. They're not idiots by any means, they can clearly see we have guests, and the Quileute territory has been breached more than once the past couple of days. That's when I think they'll plan an attack, once everyone is gone, and we'll surely be outnumbered. We need to attack them now, while we still have people here. It's like some sort of silent battle that's going on between us, there hasn't been a direct confrontation, but we are both aware of each other's plans. One of us has to strike first, and if they're playing it cool until our guests leave, then we'll just have to go hunt them down ourselves."_

"_I'll be bait. I can lead them wherever you need them to be." Alice suggested._

"_No Alice, I don't think that'll work. They need someone they hate, someone that will make them forget about their plans because they're so full of rage they can't think straight."_

"_They need me." Bella said flatly. She was staring quietly out one of the windows, until now. She faced Carlisle with determination etched across her face._

_Alice immediately refused, "No, not Bella! Anyone but her. We can't risk her getting hurt…"_

"_Alice, there's no other choice. It has to be me." Bella took hold of her hand and squeezed gently. She was unusually calm about all of this._

"_I can't let you do that Bella."_

"_Alice, the only way we stand a chance is if I go out there and pretend like I don't know anything about fighting. They need to see that I'm alone and weak. I need to show that I'm easy pickings."_

"_I can't let you risk your life like that." Alice whispered. She knew it was their only hope of getting the upper hand, but this was her angel. How could she let Bella do something so dangerous?_

"_I think we should stage a fight between you and Alice. Make it look like you're leaving us, so when you're far enough away, they will make their move. We will have people watching you the entire time, I assure you Bella; you will have the best possible protection you could ask for." Carlisle had this all planned out already._

_Bella nodded, "When do we put the plan into motion?"_

"_The sooner the better, whenever you're ready."_

Alice's vision faded and she thought it was over, but another brief image flashed in front of her eyes.

_A woman she didn't recognize, with flaming red hair, stood over an unmoving body. She knew it had to be Victoria by the way Bella described her. She had a wicked smile and was chuckling to herself._

"_You thought you could get away from me. You thought you wouldn't ever see me again, didn't you? Well, it may have taken a while to hunt you down Isabella, but I finally have you, and just like you left your mark on James, I'm going to leave a mark on you." She grabbed the long, brown hair of her victims head._

_Alice looked on with horror as Bella's face was revealed underneath the mass of hair, she was obviously scared. Victoria looked directly in Alice's direction and shouted, "Any last words for your lover?"_

"_Alice!" Bella yelled and reached out for her in one last attempt to reach out for help, to try and seek aid from the love of her life. Alice leapt forward to try and save Bella, but something was physically holding her back._

_Victoria kicked Bella and gave a quick yank to her hair….Alice could've sworn her heart exploded in that moment. Although her sight was cut off, Alice heard a blood curdling scream; she couldn't tell if it was her own or someone else's._

Darkness replaced the horrible scene, and once again Alice was staring in Bella's kind eyes.

It looked like Victoria was about to tear Bella's head off, but her vision was cut off before anything happened.

"What did you see? Was it good?" Bella asked eagerly.

Alice stared at Bella in shock; she looked at Bella's body, checking to make sure everything was intact and safe. She was terrified of her vision, she didn't know what it meant exactly, but it certainly didn't look good. She couldn't let anything happen to Bella. She tried to play off her vision as something less than it was for Bella's sake.

"Carlisle is going to ask you to be bait." She couldn't bring herself to say anything further. Alice didn't see anything specific happen, the future was still changeable, and perhaps what she saw was no what it seemed. Maybe it was an elaborate plan the girls came up with, or maybe it wasn't…One thing Alice knew for certain, she wasn't going to stop fighting for Bella.

"Bait?"

"He wants us to stage it like you're leaving the coven. You walk out on us; go out into the forest by yourself to lure them out of hiding. Once they come out, we attack." Alice began looking for her clothes; she wanted to talk to Carlisle as soon as possible.

"That's actually a good idea. I can outsmart them and lead them into a trap. When does he want to do this?" Bella inquired, following Alice's lead and moving toward her closet to find her own clothes.

"Tonight I think…are you okay with that? You don't have to be bait Bella; I can take your place." Alice didn't look directly at Bella; she only glanced in her direction. She was going to do everything possible to keep Bella safe, even if it meant putting herself at risk. She would die for Bella; there was no second thought about it.

"I'm ready to get it over with." Bella pulled out a simple gray, long sleeve shirt, and jeans.

_What if Bella was right? What if we were all walking into our deaths? _Alice thought. She got up, and searched the floor for her clothes, and remembered they were still drying.

"Can I borrow a shirt, and jeans? I don't want to go home in damp clothes." The pixie made her way over toward Bella and hugged her from behind.

Bella stopped what she was doing and closed her eyes on contact. Alice could do the simplest of things to make her melt. She pushed Bella's long hair to the side, and placed her delicate lips on the back of her neck. She hugged her tight and never wanted to let her go.

"Of course. I don't think I have anything you'll like though." Bella chuckled.

"It'll have to do until I get home." Alice regretfully removed herself from Bella, and looked inside her closet. Her choices were black, gray, brown or white. She picked a random black shirt, and pulled it over her head quickly, and slipped into Bella's jeans with ease.

"Alice…I've been thinking…"

"Yes?" Alice asked after Bella fell silent.

"Would you be interested in making this your home?" Bella looked to the floor nervously.

The pixie smiled, the thought made her forget about her worries momentarily. "Are you asking me to move in with you, Bella?" She poked her girlfriend in the stomach, although it did nothing.

Bella smiled, finally looking up to meet Alice's gaze. "Yeah…are you interested?"

"I would love to move in with you. I mean, it's close enough to my family and still gives us all the privacy we want. I'm glad you finally asked. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever ask, or if I'd just have to invite myself over 24/7." Alice winked, placing her hand beneath Bella's chin, and brought her closer for a kiss.

Bella smiled through the kiss, "It's like everything I've always wanted is finally coming true."

Alice held Bella's gaze, using both her hands to keep Bella's eyes locked on her, "You will have everything you've ever dreamed of Bella Swan. We'll get through this and finally be able to move on with our lives. You just have to stay positive, and fight hard. I won't leave your side, I promise."

"I believe you Alice."

She nodded her head, and let go of Bella. Alice didn't want to worry Bella, so she decided to back off a bit before she caught on to any unusual behavior. "Let's go have a chat with Carlisle and get this mess over with, shall we?"

"Alright, just let me have a quick drink. Maybe you should have one too; your eyes are pitch black."

"Lead the way." Bella was right. Alice was starving.

The girls walked through the living room and into the kitchen. The morning sun shined through the blinds, and Bella decided to open a window so they could view the sunrise together. The thought of their first sunrise together caused Bella to smile. Alice was already pouring a glass, while watching Bella closely.

"What's the smile for?" She walked toward Bella with two drinks in her hand.

"I was just thinking of the first time we watched the sunrise together. We just made love for the first time, and we were both too happy to even consider sleeping."

Bella took the glass from Alice and drank generously. Alice followed suit, and finished the glass in one swallow. The thought of drinking blood used to cause Alice to shudder, and she was ashamed of herself for needing it to survive. Now she never gave it a second thought.

"You'll have to tell me about that sometime." Although Alice wanted to hear Bella recollect, now wasn't the time. In fact, someone could be watching them right now.

"Oh, you'll enjoy it. It was quite the night." Bella smiled. She turned her attention to her wallet where her photo of the two of them was kept, suddenly feeling the urge to look at it. She placed her drink down and went to her wallet, and noticed it wasn't where she placed it before. The stench of dog still lingered in the air, but an unfamiliar scent began to fill her senses. One she hadn't noticed before, it was so subtle, and almost familiar.

"Did you move my wallet Alice?" Bella questioned. She opened the wallet and immediately went to where she stored her picture, but the problem was, it was no longer there.

"No, I haven't touched anything. Why, what's the matter?" Alice walked over when she noticed the worry in Bella's eyes.

"Where is it?" Bella asked herself calmly at first, and searched her wallet over once more, still coming up empty.

"What is it baby?"

"Our picture…it's gone. Someone took it." The face that was calm and happy a minute ago was now filled with anguish. Bella looked like someone was physically causing her pain.

"You don't think Jacob took it?" Alice asked. Now she was looking around for the photo. She knew how much it meant to Bella, and didn't know why Jacob would try to take something like that.

"I don't know; why would he take it? I can't lose that picture Alice; it's all I have of our past. All my greatest memories start with that picture." Bella placed her hand over her mouth; she was on the verge of a breakdown. Something inside of Bella snapped, and her calm demeanor disappeared.

"Don't you smell it Alice? It's not just Jacob's pack; someone else was here, someone who wanted my picture, someone who knew what it meant to me… It was Victoria, it had to be. She was in my house! That bitch took my picture." Bella panicked.

The girls were too occupied last night to realize that yes; the living room had a subtle, lingering aroma. It was also unusual for Jacob's pack to be gone before they got home. Maybe there was an altercation, and Jacob's pack ran after someone while Victoria came in once they were gone and swiped the picture.

Alice was lost at what to do to try and console Bella. How could she say it would be okay, when she didn't know herself if it was going to be okay? Victoria could be burning the picture as they spoke, or showing her minions just what the two of them looked like and explaining to them that they were Victoria's kill, and no one but James or herself could touch them. Their amazing night and peaceful morning had quickly gone to hell, and they were hit with reality once again. Alice's cell phone began to ring at that moment, and Carlisle's face appeared on the screen. "We'll get the picture back Bella, I promise. She won't get away with this. Hello Carlisle?"

"Do you understand how much that picture means to me?" Bella whispered. Her sadness quickly transformed into anger. He nostrils began to flare, and she contemplated sniffing out Victoria and ripping her throat out with a smile on her face. James and Victoria already messed up their human lives, why must they keep coming back for more? Why couldn't they disappear forever? If they weren't going to leave Alice or Bella alone, if they were constantly going to be a threat, then the matter had to be taken into Bella's own hands. She would destroy the two of them, along with their entire army. She would destroy anything else that stood in the way of the girl's future together. The rage she had bottled up all these years was finally boiling over, and Bella was ready to kill. This was the last straw of many other last straws; she could only be beaten so many times before she caved in and fought back.

"We'll be right there." Alice hung up her phone, and turned her attention to a seething Bella.

"Let's go." Bella spat out before Alice had time for anything. "I'm driving." She added.

Alice stared after Bella in shock. She hadn't seen Bella look so pissed off, not even when Emmett was pounding on her. She was just worried and innocent a second ago, now she looked like a totally different person. Bella looked vicious.

"I'm going to kill them Alice. I'm going to kill every single one of them." Bella opened the front door and headed not for her car, but for Alice's.

"Give me your keys." Bella demanded.

The pixie followed Bella outside, unsure of what to say. On one hand, she was worried Bella wasn't thinking properly and was worried for her safety, but then again that was the kind of mentality she wanted her to have. That was the kind of mentality she needed to survive. There was so much going on, her vision, Bella's sudden change in demeanor, the impending attack the Cullens were about to face. Alice didn't have words, so she handed Bella her keys quietly, and got in the passenger side.

The moment Alice sat down, the car was in motion. She barely had time to close the door before Bella peeled out, causing mud to fly everywhere, but she didn't care. She wanted to get to Carlisle, make a plan, and put it into action as soon as possible. After their wonderful night together, Bella wasn't going to lose the girl next to her. She had to protect Alice; she had to keep her safe. It was time to stop playing the victim, and stand up for herself. No more hiding or running; this was it. It was going to end tonight, one way or another.

"Bella I think you should calm down." Alice said as they took a sharp corner.

"Why? Weren't you the one saying I needed to think positive about this? I've never been so positive about killing someone as I am now. I want this to end Alice; I'm so tired of running."

"Yes, but this isn't positive thinking honey. Channel your anger to James and Victoria. Save it for them. You won't be alone in this, we'll be together."

"No, I have to protect you Alice. I can't lose you again. I won't let that happen."

"You won't lose me."

"I know I won't. I'm going to take care of them myself. I'll kill all of them if I have to." Bella pushed the petal to the metal.

"You don't know how many there are. You can't do it alone."

"I want revenge. I want them to know what it's like to lose the one you love. I want them to suffer like I've suffered." Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. They must've been going well over one hundred on the odometer.

"Then we'll do it together Bella. We can end this together."

"I won't let you risk your life Alice!" Bella shouted hysterically.

"It's already at risk Bella." Alice whispered after a moment of silence.

Bella slammed on the brakes, causing the Porsche to skid to a screeching halt. A mixture of rage and grief covered Bella's face, and Alice pulled her in for a hug. She was terrified for Bella, the vision she just had, the way she was acting was too much for her to handle, but she wouldn't show Bella what she was thinking, it would be too much for her. "There's nothing you can do by yourself, sweetie. It'll all be over soon, and we can move on with our lives. We'll be able to have Christmas without worry, don't you want that baby?"

Bella's dry sobs came out in response, "I hate this Alice. I just want a normal existence. I just want to be free…I want to love you without anyone getting in the way. Why is that so impossible? Why can't I be happy? I'm tired of this bullshit, of Edward, of Danielle, Maggie, James and Victoria. It's so impossible just to be happy, everyone has to come in and fuck it all up! And for what reason? For their own selfish thoughts, but they don't know what it's like to suffer. They don't know what it's like to love someone who's dead, and to miraculously get them back. They don't understand how much I love you, and how devoted I am to you. They can never take my love away from you, and if they only saw that, if they only knew an ounce of the pain I felt all those years, then maybe they would let us be. But no, no one will ever understand how I feel. I'll always be thought of as weak to them, an easy target that runs from things and avoids conflict, but not this time. Not anymore. They don't know what I'm capable of, but they're sure as hell about to find out."

"We'll get through this Bella. You have to be strong for me Bella, I know the fighter in you will pull through, just like it has all these years. They have no idea how strong you really are, I know for a fact that Danielle or Edward couldn't do what you did, they couldn't handle losing someone they love, at least not like you have. You're strong Bella, you're so strong and brave, and I'm so proud of you and so happy that you waited all these years for me. You have shown me love that I never knew could exist; you've been devoted to me all this time even when you thought I was dead. Sometimes I feel as if I don't deserve your love and devotion, you're too good for any of us. You're far from weak, and if they can't see that, then they must be blind. Even with all their tricks and with everyone getting in the way, they still haven't pulled us apart. Nothing anyone can do will ever pull me apart from you, and I know the same goes for you. You just have to survive, and then we can finally move past this. I want you to promise me you won't risk your life for me, promise me that if it seems impossible to save me, you'll turn the other way and save yourself." Alice pulled Bella out of her embrace and looked her in the eyes.

"I will never give up trying to save you. I'm sorry Alice…I can't make that promise. You die, I die." Bella let go of Alice, and turned her attention back to the road. "There's no meaning living in a world where you don't exist."

Alice stared in silence; she didn't want Bella to risk her life. If Alice was captured, no matter how much she would want Bella to run, she knew she wasn't going to do that. She would die trying to save Alice, and her vision may have been one of their deaths. Either they would survive together, or they would die together.

"I won't give up on your either Bella." Alice replied quietly. Bella was driving again, this time much slower than before. Her face was calmer, but Alice could see the rage hidden behind Bella's eyes.

The rest of the car ride was silent, and the girls were in front of the Cullen mansion within a couple of minutes. Bella and Alice got out of the car and met at the front of the car. Bella handed her the keys, and Alice grabbed her hand. The girls made their way inside hand in hand, meeting the gaze of their tired house guests.

With the mass staring at the duo, Alice simply replied, "We fight tonight."

The two made their way up to Carlisle's office. Alice took note of the relief and joy on some of their faces; they would get their battle after all.

Once the girls were upstairs, Bella asked in a surprised voice, "Did you see Maggie? She was with Matthew, and she looked really happy. I don't think she would've noticed us if you hadn't said anything."

"Maybe Matthew is a good distraction for her. As long as she keeps away from you, I don't care who she dates." Alice smiled briefly and knocked on Carlisle's door.

"Come in."

The girls walked in on an expectant Carlisle. He was there with Jasper, no doubt plotting where each and every vampire was going to hide and attack.

"Hi Carlisle...we're already aware of the plan." Alice saved Carlisle the speech. She thought if she could change the future and skip the speech that she saw in her vision; perhaps she could also skip the vision where she and Bella were both caught.

"So you know we want Bella as bait, for the lack of a better term?" Jasper smiled, trying to make light of the situation. Alice felt calm, but Bella still had the same look of anger etched on her face.

"I'm ready to go. Just tell me where you need me to be." Bella replied.

"Right, well we want you and Alice to stage a fight, make it obvious, but not too obvious. Jacobs pack had to run one of the newborns out of our territory the last couple of nights; we don't want them getting any closer without a battle plan. So we want you to act like you're leaving, lure their attention to you, while we prepare here. People will be watching you, so you won't be at any immediate risk, we just want you to lure them far enough away so we can prepare properly, and then lure them into our trap. Sound simple enough?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes sir. I'm ready, just say the word. I believe Victoria, or one of the newborns was in my house before we came home last night. None of Jacob's pack was there, and something I hold dear to my heart went missing. If you can't tell, I'm extremely upset and on edge. I can't wait to tear them apart, piece by piece, and watch what remains of each and every one of their souls burn into oblivion." Bella said calmly.

Everyone stared at Bella in shock. It would've been comical if there weren't an impending doom lingering over their heads. Bella's stone cold gaze lingered on Carlisle for a while, and then she turned her attention back to Alice. Her demeanor changed into sorrow for a split second, but she caught herself and returned to the same cold look she was used to wearing. Her arms were across her chest in a death grip; she couldn't wait to get this over with.

"Why didn't you tell us any of this sooner? I would've liked to have known there were newborns running around." Alice asked Carlisle.

"We wanted you to have some time for yourselves. It wasn't necessary to inform you right away. Now is not the time to be focusing on the past, we just need to focus on tonight, and how we're all going to survive."

At that moment, there was a loud bang on Carlisle's door, and Emmett came crashing in with a wide smile. "It's on tonight!" He howled and proceeded to roar like a lion, leaving the door open and howling all the way down the hall. The group of vampires stared after Emmett, none of them really surprised.

"Let's go downstairs and inform the others of our plan. We need to set things in motion." Carlisle ignored Emmett's intrusion, and got up from his seat.

"Carlisle, can I talk to you for a moment?" Alice said, looking toward Bella, and then back to Carlisle.

"Of course."

"Bella, I'll be downstairs in a minute." Alice said in an attempt to speak in private.

Bella looked puzzled, but Jasper caught on and was immediately at Bella's side, holding his hand out for her to sit up like a proper gentleman would. "Come on Bella, I have a few tips I'd like to give you before you go out there."

With one last look at Alice, Bella got out of her seat cautiously and left the room with Jasper, who closed the door behind them.

"What is it Alice?"

"I had a vision of Bella in a vulnerable position…It looked like Victoria was about to tear her head off. My vision faded and I heard screaming, but I don't know who was screaming."

"But you didn't see it actually happening?" Carlisle asked.

"No, my vision stopped right before anything happened. I'm just worried about her, I don't want her captured. I don't want her to die Carlisle." Alice looked away from Carlisle; afraid to stare at the man she considered her father.

"You don't know that she'll die, Alice. You didn't see anything happen for sure, and your visions can change at any small difference. She can still live Alice; we just need to keep a close eye on her. There will be someone watching her at all times, I promise."

"I know they can change, it's just rather concerning, wouldn't you agree? If you saw a vision of Esme in a headlock with her enemy, wouldn't you be worried too? I just wish there was a way to keep her safe, to keep her away from danger completely."

"You know that's not possible. I can only promise you that we will fight for her with all that we have, and we won't give up. I have faith that we'll all pull through this together, alive and well. We have stayed intact this long, I think we'll be okay this time around." Carlisle walked toward Alice, and came in for a hug.

"Thank you Carlisle." Some of the stress she felt went away. Carlisle was a wise man and always told Alice the truth. He wouldn't sugar coat anything for her, and if he was confident in their survival, then she was confident in their survival. She just had to protect Bella, no matter the cost.

"Did you tell Bella about your vision?" Carlisle pulled away from the hug.

"No, I didn't want to worry her any more than she already is."

"Good, it's best we don't say anything. We need to act as if this is nothing, give her the confidence to see it through and not panic. I don't know what Bella like is as a fighter, but if she took on James before, and survived, then I don't think she'll have a problem now."

"Even if he is seeking revenge?"

Carlisle nodded his head, "I have a feeling he will be more afraid of her, and Victoria will be the one to confront us. The only way to get James out of hiding is to have Victoria and whoever else is on her side be in immediate danger. Let's go downstairs and let everyone know. I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of everyone drinking my blood supply." Carlisle smiled.

…_Two hours later…_

"Okay, so does everyone understand the plan? Bella is going to act as bait; we'll need one of you following behind, but stay hidden. If any of them think this is a trap, they won't come out of hiding. Stealth is key, remember that. There is no guarantee they will come out, but it's the only hope we have. Stay far enough away, and make sure your scent doesn't interfere will Bella's. We're hoping the familiar smell will enrage them enough so they'll come out without thinking rationally." Carlisle stood before his family and houseguests. Though there were fewer than what he started with, it was still better than his family fighting alone. Jacob's pack was at the ready, and had even taken care of a few newborns beforehand. They proved to be a worthy asset for the fight.

"I have a question." Emmett raised his hand.

"Go on then."

"When do we start the massacre?" He smiled evilly.

"Right now. Bella, Alice, are you ready?"

Bella was quiet for a moment; she looked at Alice and saw the fear mirrored in her eyes. "It's now or never. Let's get it over with." She stood slowly, and Alice followed suit.

"Okay, everyone get anything you need, prepare yourselves in whatever way you need. I know its short notice but now is our chance. We initiate in ten minutes, and please stick to the plan. Do all that you can to protect Bella; she is the key to winning this."

Everyone nodded and removed themselves from the situation. They all went in their separate groups, planning their own personal strategy. With all the different fighting skills combined, it would surely be something James and Victoria wouldn't be prepared for. Most of them were excited, and ready for a fight. This is what they lived for, life had become so boring to them that the only entertainment they had was ripping each other apart.

"I need you to live Bella. Don't disappoint me." Alice tried to tease, but she was worried too much to keep a straight face. She wished she could cry; she wanted some sort of outlet for the pain she felt inside.

"I'll never disappoint you darling. I am too in love with you to die now. My destiny is with you, forever." Bella smiled weakly, and kissed her girlfriends palm.

"I'm glad to hear you say that. It'll be over before you know it, and then we can really celebrate." Alice gripped Bella, and pulled her closer for an embrace.

"Promise?"

"I promise, cross my heart." Alice made a motion across her unbeating heart with her hand.

Bella sighed, "So, are you ready to get mad at each other?"

"Not really, but let's do it anyway." Alice kissed Bella, savoring the moment. She didn't want to think of this as their last kiss, it wasn't going to be their last kiss. They would both make it through this.

Edward approached the girls at this moment, his expression stayed the same but he was excited for the chance to rip heads off as well. "If things get out of control, or if you come close to any kind of danger, I'll be right there. I won't let anything happen to you Bella, I promise. If it looks rough, I want you to run as fast as you can away from them. If you can't run, don't let them get a hold of your head, no matter what."

"I can't run away Edward. This is as much my battle as it is anyone else's. I'm not going to run anymore."

"I'll be by your side the entire time. We all will. I know I may have been rude when I first met you, but you can't blame me for being suspicious. I can't read you, but I know enough about you to know that you mean well and you treat my sister like a goddess. That's enough for me to want to keep you alive. So please, for the sake of us all, stay alive. Like I said before, don't let them get a hold of your head or neck…that's the most important part." Edward looked toward Alice in sympathy, whose vision kept replaying in her head.

"That's oddly sweet of you to say Edward, thank you for the advice and help." Bella smiled.

"Yes, thank you Edward." Alice chimed in. It was the best they were going to get out of Edward, and that was enough for both of them.

Danielle came up beside Edward, "I just wanted to tell you to be safe Bella. We're all going to be there fighting, we just need you to lure them into our trap. After you lure them in, I don't think you'll have to fight. There should be a sufficient amount of us to fight them off. The two of you can run to safety if you choose so."

"Thanks Danielle, but I think I might want to stick around for the fight." Bella replied calmly. She wasn't sure whether to take that as a sign of help from Danielle, or if she was just saying it because she didn't think Bella was able to handle herself.

"I just don't want to see anyone get hurt." Danielle trailed off, dropping the subject.

"Bella, you're going to do great out there. I just know it." Emmett slapped Bella on the back, and turned to Alice for a bear hug.

"If you can knock Emmett down, I don't think you'll have a problem with anyone else." Rosalie smiled gently at Emmett, who was squeezing the life out of Alice.

"Yeah…I'm sorry about scaring you. I didn't want to cause Emmett any damage; I just got tired of being pushed around." Bella replied, shocked that Rosalie was even speaking to her.

"Don't worry about it. Good luck out there."

"Thank you"

Emmett dropped Alice, and then turned his attention to Bella, who was still looking at Rosalie. He picked Bella up from behind, and wrapped his arms tightly around her, rocking her body back and forth like a child holding a teddy bear. "You're part of the family now. Everyone gets a hug!" Emmett laughed, causing Bella to smile and even laugh.

"Okay Emmett, I think that's enough hugging for now." Esme smiled, and patted him on the shoulder. Matthew, the newborn, was by her side. He was intimidated by the size of Emmett, and stuck close to Esme's side. He thought that the Cullens could still turn on him at any point, so he kept his distance away from the biggest one.

Emmett dropped Bella, and she playfully pushed him against the chest. Alice grabbed her arm, and pulled her back to her side before Emmett could get a hold of her again.

"Umm, Bella…I just wanted to wish you luck tonight. I think James and Victoria will come out of hiding if they catch on to your scent. I mean, they despise you and Alice so much, and you're all they ever talk about. They're obsessed with what ways to kill you, and how they plan to catch you, you wouldn't believe some of the stuff they came up with, it's actually really creative…anyway, what I meant to say is, that I think the plan will work. With all the different fighting styles that I've seen, and the years of experience everyone has here, versus the newborns lack of skill and precision, they won't stand a chance against us. You don't need to worry." Matthew smiled, he was obviously a rambler.

"Well, thanks for that Matthew." Alice answered for Bella.

Matthew nodded, and made his way quickly back to Maggie's side, who had been waiting for him on the other side of the living room. She hadn't bothered wishing any of them luck, but maybe that was for the best.

"Ready girls?" Carlisle appeared behind them in a different set of clothing.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Bella answered.

Alice nodded.

"Alright then, let's get started. Whenever you're ready."

The girls looked at each other, what turned out to be the beginning of a beautiful day had quickly turned sour. The sun was covered by a blanket of clouds, and sleet began falling from the sky. Their wonderful night had turned into the beginning of their battle. Bella thought about the day before, and realized that she was in a totally different mindset than she was twenty four hours ago. It was amazing how drastic things can change in the course of a day.

Bella took one last sincere look at Alice, inhaled her scent, and pushed past her. She made her way to the back door and stormed outside. The freezing air and sleet instantly soaked her. Alice looked at her family, who all pretended to mind their own business, and then she turned around and followed Bella outside.

"Where do you think you're going?" Alice shouted. She was loud, but not too loud to make it over dramatic.

"I'm leaving. I can't stand it anymore, Alice. I can't face them again; I have to get out of here before they find me. I messed up James too much, and I know they're not going to forgive me for that." Bella turned to face Alice.

"So you're just going to abandon us? Leave us here to die? You're the one that brought them to us in the first place!" Alice took a step off the back porch.

"Excuse me? You're really going to try and place the blame on me? James was after you first, you're his target, remember? He wants you more than anything else."

"I can't believe you Bella. Why would you run away at a time like this? We need you, I need you. Please don't go, stay with us and fight. We need all that we can get." Alice's voice was now normal, if anyone was out there listening, then they shouldn't have a problem hearing her.

"Who do you think I've been running from all this time? I can't face them Alice, I have to get out of here before it's too late. I'm sorry, but I can't stay here. I have to go."

"What about me? Don't you love me? What if I come with you?" Alice reached out to Bella, but she pulled away. Even though they were acting, Alice still felt a sting when Bella moved away. She wanted to touch her one last time, before it might've been too late.

"No…they want both of us, remember. If you come with me, then we'll both die. If we split up, then maybe there's the chance that one of us will survive."

"So you're just going to leave me? Never to see me again? After all we've been through…you're a coward Bella Swan." Alice's face displayed anger.

"If you consider a coward someone who is smart enough to leave before everyone is slaughtered, then yes, I'm a coward. Goodbye Alice, I really wish you luck." Bella took one last look at Alice, turned around, and sped off in the direction she was directed to take by Carlisle.

"I thought you loved me!" Alice shouted from behind Bella. She fell to the ground, and shouted out in agony. She lingered there for a while, screaming and burying her head in her hands, wondering if they even did a decent job to seem convincing, when Danielle came out and took hold of Alice's shoulder.

"Come on sweetie, come inside. We don't need her, we never did."

Alice stared at Danielle and wondered if she was also acting or if she actually meant what she said. "I always needed her Danielle. She saved me…I can't lose her."

She stood up, and looked in the direction Bella was heading, who was long gone, and there was no turning back now. The girls stood there together, staring out into the forest. Alice couldn't get herself to go inside, and Danielle stood next to her, trying to console her. Every attempt to get her to go inside was useless, so she just settled for standing and watching the forest along with Alice. They had to wait for the word that it would be okay to follow.

They had to wait for what seemed like forever, but probably was only ten minutes, before Edward came out of the house and informed the girls, "One of the wolves in Jacob's pack witnessed some of the newborns being told to follow Victoria closely, but not to attack the girl. Victoria and a small group of her minions are following Bella as we speak, but we found out where they've been hiding. His pack is surrounding the cave they've been hiding in right now. Some of the more careless newborns led his pack straight to their lair. I think they'll be able cover most of the newborns, but some of them are going to get by. Carlisle is sending us out to our positions now, but he wants the two of you to stay back just a while longer. As long as Bella makes it to the rendezvous point, we should be fine." Edward seemed pleased with the news.

"Why can't we go now?" Alice asked.

"In case someone is watching our house, he is also afraid you might try to catch up to Bella too soon and the plan will be ruined. Stay here, just for a few more minutes Alice, I promise I'll keep Bella in my sight and keep her safe. I'm leaving right now, don't worry." Edward made his way toward the house without another word; from there he would exit the front of the house and take a different route to where Bella was headed.

Everyone was given different plans and different times to leave the house. Hopefully it would all come together in the end and Bella would be safe, and Victoria would be dead.

"I can't wait here Danielle. I have to see if she is okay." Alice was starting to panic. She felt like she was the only one that knew how to take care of Bella, and that she was the only one able to protect her. The vision she had earlier only caused to inflate her worry.

"Just hang on for a few more minutes Alice. We don't want to ruin the plan." Danielle gripped Alice's arm, hanging onto her with all her might. She was afraid that Alice would try to break away from her, and that's exactly what she was trying to do.

"But I can't wait a few more minutes Danielle. Don't you understand that she's in danger? I shouldn't have let her go; I should've gone in her place, and now I don't know what's going on because the mutts are in the way of my vision." Alice pulled and Danielle hung on tighter. She didn't see the vision Alice had earlier; she didn't understand what kind of danger Bella was walking into.

Danielle was now being dragged across the lawn by Alice, who was desperate to get to Bella. She suddenly didn't care about the plan anymore, Victoria was already on her way after Bella, and that's what was most important.

"Alice, stop!" Danielle cried out, holding onto her with everything she had. Alice just wanted to get to her girlfriend and make sure she was safe, but Danielle was making it impossible. She clung to her ex-girlfriend with all her strength, and Alice was still fighting her off. The pixie was a lot stronger than she looked.

Alice turned to face Danielle once more, ready to yell something else at her when they heard a crunch of ice and snow from behind them. The girls instantly stopped fighting and turned around, only to be faced with someone they've never seen before. A blond haired, red eyed boy approached them slowly at first. He must've only been sixteen or seventeen when he was changed, which was all the more saddening.

He came from the direction Bella was headed in, so there must've been a few more newborns out there ready to attack Bella when she passed them by. This only caused Alice to panic more, she didn't have time to mess around with newborns when Bella was about to come face to face with the leader.

"So you're Alice? James is going to be so proud of me for bringing you to him." The boy smiled wickedly, ready to attack both Danielle and Alice.

The girls looked to each other, and then back at the newborn who made his way closer toward them. All previous thoughts were dropped, and the girls knew exactly what needed to be done. They knew how to handle newborns, and two against one would make it easier.

"You have two choices. If you leave now we won't hurt you, but if you take one step closer we won't hesitate killing you." Alice said calmly. She wanted to give the boy a fair chance, he was young and deserved a choice, but his cockiness got the better of him. All he saw were two women, and he being a newborn thought he could take on a whole army of vampires. Sure, he was a lot stronger than the girls in this stage of his life, but wit always beat muscle.

The confident newborn barked with laughter and took a step closer without a second thought. That's all it took to set things in motion. The girls instantly knew what to do. Within the next step, Danielle moved in front and Alice behind, surrounding him. Danielle grabbed hold of the newborns arms as quick as she could, and broke his limbs off at the elbow. Like some sort of cheap karate movie, Danielle tossed his arms aside as the newborn screamed in terror, but was quickly cut off by Alice grabbing the back of his head. She took the opportunity of surprise, and hesitated no longer. Alice kicked his body with such force; his body fell to the ground in a loud thud while leaving his head hanging in her hand. Danielle already had the lighter lit and set fire to his body. Alice threw his head on top of the body without another look, and Danielle searched the ground for his arms.

"I'm going to find Bella now. Are you coming?" Alice was already running away, when Danielle tossed the limbs in the small fire, and followed without another word. They girls had obviously done this before, if it was this effortless to kill the newborn, then maybe the rest would be easy too.

Their fight was only beginning.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: First of all, I'm sorry for the delay in updating. I was out of town, and when I returned home I had the lovely surprise of finding my computer screen broken. Anyway****, I'm back and should be updating a little sooner than last. I wanted to thank each and every one of you for reading this, you guys rock. A lot was covered in this chapter, and we're finally coming up to the battle between Alice/Bella and James/Victoria in the upcoming chapters. It's about time I have them actually fight each other. :) Thanks for reading.**


	23. Chapter 23

The ice beneath her feet was cold and slippery, even for a vampire she had a hard time keeping her balance, but she had to keep running. The ground pounded against her feet in quick, steady thuds, causing the ice to break in tiny crunches, leaving a perfect trail for whoever might've been following her. Bella ran as fast as her legs would take her, she figured the further she was from Alice, the better chance she wouldn't have to fight. Her own survival depended on her getting to the rendezvous point; she had no idea if Victoria or anyone for that matter was following her. Bella had no idea if the plan was even going to work, but she had to give it her best.

The sky was a bright white color throughout the day, but turned dull as the sun behind the clouds lowered over the horizon. Dark, ominous clouds quickly moved in as nightfall slowly made its presence. There was still enough light left in the sky to run through the forest without a problem. Bella didn't want to be subtle in her trail; she wanted everyone to know where she was. She purposefully ran into tree branches, kicked a few boulders out of the way, and had bits and pieces of her clothing snag against the tree branches. If she was going to pretend to be clumsy, she had to amp it up. Bella groaned and grunted along the way, making sure her scent was evident in the area. It felt as if she had just started running, but she was already miles away from the Cullens mansion. She was getting closer open water, and further away from civilization. This was the perfect place to have an all-out brawl between rival vampires.

She leapt over a fallen tree trunk, and could see the clearing where she was supposed to stop in front of her, she was almost there. Bella hoped that someone on her side was waiting for her there, but the closer she got, the less optimistic she was. Everyone was back at the house when she left; there was no way someone would be there already. Bella leapt out into the clearing, and continued running for a short while, looking around the surrounding forest, wondering if anyone was hiding out there. The icy patches of grass mixed in with snow crunched quietly beneath her, it was the only noise she heard.

Bella slowed her pace, and started jogging. There was something in the air that she hadn't sensed before. It was as if she could feel the negative energy consume her as the familiar but faint scent grew. Her nostrils flared, she knew the scent; it was the same scent of the person that took her picture. The sickening aroma came to her senses in a rush, and she relived the last moments of her human life in her head. Victoria was near, but Bella couldn't see her…not yet anyway.

All thoughts of their plan not working instantly vanished when a figure appeared from behind one of the trees surrounding the clearing. The red, fiery hair was as vibrant as ever, her skin as white as a ghost, her smile as evil as she remembered. Victoria was in the distance, and Bella stopped moving completely. Her body unwillingly froze, showing the fear that she carried with her all this time.

This wasn't a false threat, all hope that Victoria would eventually give up on her and Alice died in that moment, not that there was much hope for that anyway. Bella was ready though, whether she lived or not, she wanted to get this over with. She made a promise to herself, that if she died, Victoria was going down with her. She would fight with every inch of her being, and wouldn't give up until her body was set ablaze.

Victoria stepped forward, but something was off. There was a mass behind her, a mass of an eerily pale color, and a mixture of scents followed. She walked out into the clearing, her expression never changing. She was grinning from ear to ear, and her followers had the same exact look. They thought they were going to win this, but oh how wrong they were. Victoria must've dreamed about this moment for a long time because it looked as if she was living out her most desirable fantasy.

Bella finally came to her senses, practically forcing herself to move and take a step forward. Victoria wasn't expecting that, because she paused in her place; her grin faltered. Her scare factor wasn't as good as it used to be, Bella was no longer frozen on the spot. Bella's anger overshadowed her fear; she could feel the rage beginning to fuel her body, causing her to tremble slightly from clenching her muscles too hard. She wasn't going to be afraid of weak anymore, she was going to stand her ground.

"Isabella, it's been a long time. My, how you've matured." Victoria said hesitantly at first. Through her evil grin, Bella could see that Victoria was just as nervous, if not more than she was. This attack wasn't planned on their part, they acted on impulse, and perhaps Victoria realized how big of a mistake she just made.

"Victoria…I wish I could say the same about you. You're just as sick in the head as you were when I first met you. How pathetic." Bella scoffed. Sure she was scared, but she was also pissed off. Buying time until more help arrived was also essential for her survival.

"Pathetic?"

"Yes, do you have a hearing problem? Your life is so miserable that you have to come after people who have done nothing to you, and make their life a living hell. I used to be afraid of you, but now…I just feel sorry for you. You have such a gift with immortality, and yet you waste it causing other people misery."

All signs of a smile disappeared from Victoria's face. She thought Bella would be begging for her life, she thought this would be easy. If Bella wanted to get catty with her, then the kill would be even more pleasurable in the end.

"I could say the same for you, dear. To spend your whole existence hiding from me, what does that say about you? That you're weak? That you're a coward? Perhaps pathetic, just like I am apparently." Victoria took another step closer, and her followers went right along with her. They were trained to stay behind her, but Bella could see they wanted to rip her to shreds.

"At least I don't have to turn innocent people to feel comfortable about fighting you. Why are you guys even listening to her? Why do you follow her? You could just leave, kill her even. I mean there are enough of you to overtake her and James I'm sure. Matthew escaped, why can't any of you? Don't you want to be free? Aren't you tired of her telling you what to do? I fought back, and I escaped James. Victoria was too much of a coward to fight me. She ran away while I ripped James to pieces. If I only knew that burning him would've killed him for good, we probably wouldn't be in this position right now."

"That's not true, she's lying just to try and turn you against us. Bella tortured James, he didn't do anything wrong. All we wanted was for you to join us, but we weren't good enough for you. You had potential Isabella, but you went and fucked up when you turned on us. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned as they say, and I never forgot about the pain I was in when I saw James torn to pieces. It was heart wrenching, I thought I might've lost him forever…I don't expect you to understand how I feel." Victoria mocked pain, and placed her hand over her mouth. Her arms wrapped around her body, and she actually looked convincing.

The newborns were brainwashed into thinking Bella was the real enemy, they all looked sympathetically toward Victoria. If only they knew the truth, if only they felt an ounce of pain Bella felt while thinking Alice was dead and gone. Bella stared in disbelief; she was struck speechless by the pathetic attempt to show emotion.

"James is a nice guy. Why would you hurt him like that?" A female newborn asked. Her blood red eyes stared directly into Bella's. She looked around the age of fourteen, too young to die and too naïve to realize she was being played.

"Are you kidding me? A nice guy? Did he ever tell you how he bit me to death? He never asked, he thought he was giving me a gift when I wanted nothing more than to die. It wasn't his choice; my life was not his to play with. Are you a complete idiot, or are you just brainwashed?" Bella posed a question.

The newborn looked offended, but Bella couldn't care less. She was outraged by the lie, by the young vampires who were ready to rip out her throat based on the lies Victoria fed into their ears. She was ready to fight, and could hardly wait any longer. The tension in the atmosphere grew. It was one versus fifteen at the moment; she would never make it out by herself. The mix of scents masked any new scents coming in, so Bella wasn't sure if anyone actually had her back or not.

"James has a hard time speaking to us, so Victoria usually speaks for him." replied another newborn.

"Where is James anyway? How come he isn't here?" Bella asked, looking all around her for a sign of any other vampires. "I thought he'd love the chance to get a piece of me."

"He is waiting for us to return. And let me tell you, he has some delightful plans on how to torture you. It's going to be so much fun. We're not here to kill you; we're just here to capture you. So you don't have to worry about dying, because we plan on keeping you alive." Victoria's grin found its way back to her face.

"Oh, so I'm just going to be tortured for all eternity?" Bella asked. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the slightest of movement coming from where Victoria entered the clearing. She hoped it was someone on her side, because buying time wasn't going to work much longer.

"You're not mine to torture. James gets to have all the fun."

"And what about Alice? I know you're not an idiot; his Mary Alice is here too. You have my picture to prove it. Who gets her?"

"We made a deal. He gets you, and I get her. It was hard to agree to that, but when I saw how much he wanted to punish you for what you've done to him, I couldn't tell him no. He is still cute even with all his deformities…"

"What do you have against Alice? You could just leave her alone, she did nothing wrong."

Victoria was silent.

"Anyway, do you actually think you'll be able to capture me this time? It didn't work the first time."

"But we were alone then, now we have an army to help us. Once we have your coven taken out, the Volturi will be next. We have big plans, and you're only a step on the way to ruling the vampire world." Victoria approached Bella, to the point where they were only inches apart. Her followers stayed behind though, they were already trained on what to do in this situation. Bella remained quiet, and Victoria pushed the boundaries further and reached her hand out to stroke Bella's cheek.

"You're ridiculous." Bella finally spat out, making sure to get a few specks of saliva on Victoria's face.

Ignoring the spit, Victoria's cold, dead hand brushed against Bella's cheek, and Bella stared in disgust. She had to be careful, her hand was awfully close to her neck, but she had a plan. "I don't understand you Isabella, you could've joined us; you could've really been something. Why didn't you just give in?"

Her blood red eyes examined Bella's golden orbs carefully. "Because my life was not meant to be lived with you. My life is with Alice; it always has been and always will be. The greatest depths of hell could never even come close to the punishment you deserve. You're going to die tonight; you will never win Victoria. I promise you this."

"It's one against an army. Your girlfriend is back at her nice, comfortable mansion, miles away from you. No one is going to save you Bella, because no one really cares about you. You think they care if you die or not? I don't think any of those privileged vampires would lift a finger for you, especially not Mary Alice. Let's face it; you love her far more than she has ever loved you. I've watched the two of you interact for quite some time. It's obvious to everyone except you." Victoria hissed.

The newborns began screaming and shouting in that moment, and Victoria turned around to see vampires that weren't her own, charging out of the forest and were heading straight toward the small group. Victoria turned back to Bella, who was now the one grinning evilly.

"You made a big mistake Victoria. You should have never fucked with me." Bella moved fast, and Victoria was caught up in the moment that she didn't have time to remove her hand from Bella's face. By the time she realized she was in danger, Bella already had a hold on Victoria's hand, and proceeded to crush it beneath her grip. Like a clump of dried up mud, Victoria's hand crumbled into nothing only after a few seconds. Dust and fingers from what used to be her hand fell to the ground below her, and she let out a scream of horror at what just happened. She held her arm with her remaining hand and stared in disbelief where her other hand used to be.

She continued to look at the nub that used to be her hand, and looked back to Bella who took the moment to punch Victoria's shocked face, the force causing her body to fall to the ground. Once Victoria got back to her feet, Bella was already turning away from her. She was trying to get away from Victoria before things escalated. Her newborns were all currently occupied with a thundering Emmett plowing them down like a football player on a rampage. He screamed and shouted at every newborn he had a hold of, enjoying the rare opportunity to slaughter the enemy.

Victoria needed help immediately, but she couldn't let Bella get away with this, not this time. The fury she felt seemed to make her eyes grow a brighter shade of red, and she reached out for Bella with her nub and one free hand. Bella was too quick, and had set out toward her coven, hoping that the added support would bring Victoria down quickly.

The chase was on, Bella was running and Victoria was right behind her, shrieking as loud as she could. It's as if things were in slow motion, Bella was ahead of Victoria only by a few inches. She had no idea where she was headed, but the closer she got to where Emmett was the better chance she had of getting support. Her jacket blew behind her, and she could feel Victoria's hand trying to snatch it. Bella thought quickly, and once Victoria had a grip on her jacket, Bella already flung it off her shoulders, leaving Victoria holding an empty jacket.

Edward could be seen charging through the forest, followed by Jasper, Carlisle and Rosalie. Relief washed over Bella when she realized she wouldn't be alone anymore. They had all kept their word like they said they would. Alice wasn't in sight, and that was a good thing. Jacob and his pack was nowhere to be found though, and she wondered if he had backed out of the plan after all. She was cut off from her thoughts as a newborn leapt toward Bella in order to stop her from escaping Victoria, but she was too quick. As the newborn reached out to grab Bella, she ducked out of the way. She knew if they got a hold of her, Victoria would have her in her grip again. She couldn't let that happen, as much as she wanted to kill this newborn, it would be wiser to leave that up to the others.

Out of nowhere, Zafrina, the head of the Amazon coven came running toward the newborns. The two other women from her coven were nowhere in sight. Bella thought they all left, but it seemed as if Zafrina stayed behind. She was a wild fighter, and seemed to have frightened the small pack of newborns as she approached. Her movements were fierce and fast and quickly knocked the head off the newborn that was standing in front of Bella. Rosalie was behind everyone, starting a fire and quickly picking up the pieces that fell to the ground and tossing them into the flames.

Bella was stunned for a moment, the woman covered in animal skins towered over her with an odd grin. "Thank you." Bella nodded, unsure of what else to say to Zafrina.

Zafrina's smile grew wider, but was cut off when she heard barking and yelling coming from the forest. Emmett had almost single handedly taken out the group of newborns and was working his way toward Victoria when a mass of newborns flooded into the clearing, followed by Jake's pack. The wolves had found where they were hiding and led them right into the trap. Bella scanned the bodies for any sign of Alice, but didn't see her anywhere. That's when she saw him, the disfigured and slower moving vampire who was being pushed along by newborns. James was so deformed, that he had to rely on his army of newborns to help him run away.

Once they were close enough, Bella realized that his face was grossly disfigured. The jaw Bella ripped off was still gone, but there was some kind of nub and a bit of skin, just enough for his mouth close. His lower teeth were gone, and his face looked sucked in like he was permanently eating something sour. Scars were scattered across his face and body, but they weren't bite marks. They were the pieces where Bella had ripped him apart. His tongue hung out of his mouth like a dog when he tried speaking to the newborns that were pushing him along, and everything he said came out as a slur. Bella could still understand him enough to make out what he was saying.

"Victoria! Where are you?" James shouted out in a sloppy slur. He looked at the scene in front of him and immediately scrunched his face in shock. This wasn't what was supposed to happen. Now part of his army was dead, and he was faced with not only a group of vampires, but a bunch of wolves as well.

It was as if Bella wasn't there anymore, because Victoria was no longer focused on her. She ran toward James in a hurry, wanting him to get to safety before one of the mutts picked him off. "James, I told you to stay behind. It's not safe for you out here!"

With all of the previous newborns currently burning, the fighting had stopped momentarily as the masses gathered. The wolves surrounded the enemy, growling and just waiting for the word to attack. Jacob could be seen in the front, inches away from one of the frightened newborns.

"They ambushed us. There wasn't a choice." James said angrily, noticing Victoria's hand was gone.

"What happened?" James looked around and finally met eyes with Bella, who was staring at him from across the clearing. She could hear him growling, but it didn't have any effect. It was weak, and sounded similar to a slobbering baby.

"She crumbled my hand. James…she is stronger than I expected. There's no way I can get it back, she turned my hand into dust." Victoria tried whispering so no one would hear her frightened voice, but it was useless when she was surrounded by vampires. Jacob's pack started howling behind the newborns, edging them closer to their leaders. They were surrounded. On one side it was vampires, and on the other it was shape shifters.

"We can't let them get away from us. We can defeat them." James reassured Victoria, who bought it immediately.

"I'd advise you all to leave now and never come back. If you want to live, then leave now." Carlisle's voice boomed over the clearing. They were miles away from civilization; no one would hear them scream.

James began laughing hysterically; he seemed to be the only one in the whole group that found this funny. Everyone was completely silent except for him. His laugh was like that of a maniac, it was as if James had gone crazy over the years. The thought of this moment consumed every second of his life the instant Bella got away, and he wasn't about to just leave. His arrogance and pride would be his downfall.

"Give us the girls, and we'll spare your lives." Victoria answered for James, who was still laughing.

"We can't do that. Bella and Alice are a part of our coven now, and we protect everyone in our coven with our life. If you'll look around you, you should realize that you're surrounded. You may have us outnumbered, but that doesn't mean we won't win. We will kill every single one of you if you attack us. You have a chance to leave now, run away. James and Victoria are not your owners, you can live your own life; you don't have to die tonight if you leave now." Carlisle responded calmly. Esme was nowhere in sight. She stayed at home with a couple of other vampires in case someone tried coming to the mansion.

The army of pale skinned vampires shifted. Some of them were like Matthew, and didn't want to be there, while some of them were so brainwashed that there was no use trying to persuade them to leave. They were all teenagers, borderline children. If only the Volturi could see the atrocity committed, they would have no problem killing every single one of them. The poor souls had no chance, no hope for a life of their own. If they stayed, they would be sentenced to death.

"Don't listen to him; there are more of us than there are them. We can win; you are all stronger than them. Fight with us, and we'll rule the vampire world together. If you try to leave, we will hunt you down after all of this is over I guarantee you." Victoria shouted out, she looked all around her, desperate to get her army to stay.

"Look at what they did to your hand in the short amount of time we were here. There are wolves behind me, ready to tear us apart. I don't want to die, not again. You're our leader, and if they can take your hand off just like that, I don't want to find out what they're going to do to me." One of the newborns shouted; followed by a few shouts and cries of agreement.

"Leave now if you want to live, or wait to die. It's your choice, but it'll be that much more fun to rip you apart now." Emmett shouted back at the newborns. His strong arms gripped across his chest, making him appear rather intimidating.

"No one will hurt you if you leave. You're surrounded, surrender now and live just like Matthew has done." At that moment, Maggie and Matthew stepped in front of the wall of vampires. A few gasps could be heard amongst the newborns as he nervously took a few steps closer. Maggie was holding onto Matthews arm tightly, seemingly happy by his side.

"The Cullens are good people; they won't hurt you if you don't attack. They took me in as their own, and have shown me a different way of living. We don't have to kill people to survive; we can feed off animals just as any hunter does. Bella has done nothing wrong, James and Victoria have. They've brainwashed all of you into thinking Bella and Alice are the bad ones, but it's the other way around. Can't you see that they're leading you to your deaths? Leave now, save yourselves before it's too late."

Maggie grabbed his hand in support, and looked at Bella to see her reaction. She smiled weakly at the pair, but that didn't seem to satisfy Maggie. She turned back toward Victoria with a scowl on her face. Her own coven stayed behind the Cullens, along with the Denali and Egyptian coven. There were few, but they were all strong fighters. Bella was confident that they would be able to win the battle, especially if the newborns were scared away. Maybe Alice was right; maybe they would all come out of this alive.

Everyone just stared at each other, saying nothing more but waiting for the right moment to attack. There was movement in the trees of the forest, which put everyone on edge. Alice's petite body came running out into the clearing, but slowed to a stop when she realized everyone was staring at her. Danielle came right behind her, and almost ran into Alice. The two girls stopped and stared back at everyone, they were right in the middle of it all, the newborns on one side, and her family on the other.

The silence was broken when a yell escaped James mouth, and all hell broke loose. Some of the newborns begin running toward the Cullens, while the others ran back into the forest in order to escape, passing the wolves that let them go. There were around thirty newborns in all, but the ones who ran away and the body parts of the other newborns quickly diminished the number.

"Alice!" Bella shouted frantically. She wanted to get her to safety as fast as she could. James or Victoria couldn't get a hold of her; she had to make sure of it.

She could see both James and Victoria charging after Alice specifically, and it terrified her. Bella sprang into action, and ran as quick as she could toward Alice, who only just realized that the people who were coming after her were James and Victoria. She had never seen them before, but it didn't take much to know who they were based of the description Bella told her.

Danielle pushed Alice in the direction of Bella, and tried her best to block the newborns from getting to her. She was the first one to get hit, and they wasted no time trying to tear her apart. Danielle did a good job of tearing off a few heads as they ran by her, but it wasn't long before they ganged up on her. Jasper yelled from the distance as he tried to hurry up and get to his girlfriend before it was too late.

Alice ran toward Bella, listening to the screams and shouts coming from behind her. One of the people screaming was Danielle, and she couldn't allow herself to turn around and look at the moment, she had to get away. The Cullens and the rest of the vampires began running to Danielle's aid, and Alice skillfully avoided running into any of them.

"Jasper!" Danielle shouted as a swarm of newborns tackled her to the ground. Emmett was the first to get to her, coming in like a wrecking ball and scattering most of the newborns across the clearing. James managed to avoid the mass of newborns and continued to chase after Alice. Victoria had her sights on Bella, while Bella was only focused on getting to Alice.

Jasper ran toward Danielle as fast as he could, pushing off newborns while Edward was right behind him, tearing their limbs apart like a wild man. His hands were full of an assortment of vampire body parts and resorted to even beating the newborns with some of their own limbs.

Jacob's pack quickly attacked the newborns that were closest to them, tearing them to pieces without hesitation. They were afraid of the dogs; they had never seen wolves so big and powerful before. Once a newborn had been captured in their mouths, they were crushed into tiny pieces by the power of their jaw. Jacob howled, and tried to make his way toward Bella and Alice. His pack was taking care of the newborns, and he wanted to make sure the two girls were safe.

Carlisle and the Denali sisters were in a group taking out the newborns and tossing the remains in the fire like it was nothing. Zafrina scared most of the newborns away from her, but she chased right after them like it was a fun game of cat and mouse. She led a couple of them right into the mouths of the wolves, who bit them quickly and tossed their bodies in the fire that was growing beside them.

The small fire quickly grew, causing a deep orange and red glow amongst most of the scenery. Smoke from the burning bodies rose above into the now night sky and blended in the gray and black clouds. Alice finally reached Bella and they took hold of each other's hands, quickly searching their surroundings for James and Victoria.

Chaos surrounded the two girls as they stood there for a moment, momentarily watching the action. Jasper was kneeling against the ground where Danielle's body laid limp, he searched the ground for the pieces they tore off her. The anger inside him could be felt all around, and any newborn that came close to him would be quickly taken care of. Edward was blocking Danielle and Jasper from the oncoming newborns. He was using any body part he had, and even threw some of the already burning limbs at some of the newborns in an attempt to scare them away. Rosalie was holding her ground and taking out newborns left and right. Bella had never seen her fight before, but she had to admit that she was rather good at it. Emmett had flaming bodies of his own that he threw at the groups of newborns who were trying to take him down. Carlisle, the Irish coven, and the Denali sisters slowly made their way closer to the middle of the battle, tossing body parts in the fire as fast as they could, and finishing off anyone that crossed their paths. Matthew and Maggie stood not too far away from Bella and Alice, it seemed they were dumbstruck on what to do, at least Matthew was. Maggie looked at the girls with an odd expression, and Bella met her eyes curiously. Something was off, the look in her eyes wasn't right. Zafrina and Jacob seemed to take care of the masses without issue; they worked hand in hand and seemed to have an odd sort of chemistry together. She would throw the newborns to his pack, and they would finish them off. They were all moving toward where Alice and Bella stood, right in the middle of all the action.

Bella turned to face Alice once more, who was currently looking at her, when she saw someone coming up on her fast. She reacted quickly and pushed Alice out of the way while Bella collided with whoever was after Alice. Alice landed somewhere close to Maggie and Matthew, and looked up just in time to see Victoria on top of Bella, trying to get hold of her neck.

"Bella!" Alice yelled as loud as she could. She tried to get up and run toward Bella, but something was holding her down. This is when she realized that her vision was coming true. She looked behind her, expecting to see James holding her down, but was shocked to find Maggie on top of her. She had her hand against Alice's back, and sat on her legs to keep her in place.

"Maggie, what are you doing? Get off her!" Matthew shouted, trying to pull Maggie off. Even with his strength, he struggled to even budge her. Maggie turned to Matthew with a devilish face, and pushed him as hard as she could with her free hand, causing him to go flying off into a few newborns in the distance. He crashed into them like a bowling ball reaching the pins, and didn't get back up.

Victoria started laughing as she finally got a grip good enough on Bella with her one free hand. She had her arm across Bella's neck pushing her against the ground with all her might, and her remaining hand had a hold on Bella's hair. Her whole body spread across Bella's, making sure she wasn't going to get away this time.

"Look at you now Isabella, you're going to die because you decided to save your girlfriend. You tried to be the hero but she's going to die anyway. Won't it be fun to have her watch you die first?" Victoria whispered in Bella's ear, who struggled frantically to get out of her grip. Her struggle only made Victoria's smile grow.

The rest of their allies were caught up in fights with the newborns, no one was able to help her. Alice and Bella stared at one another, afraid that this was going to be the last time they ever saw each other, the last time Alice would stare into Bella's kind eyes, the last time she would ever see this wonderful woman who came and changed her life for the better. Bella brought life into Alice's wretched soul, they were soul mates, and they always had been. How could it all end so fast? She only had Bella a short while, why was she being taken away so soon? This couldn't be how it ended, the two of them pinned down by people who only wanted to see them suffer. They had to fight; they had to get out of this somehow. The game of hunter and prey had gone on long enough, it was time the prey stepped into action and ended it once and for all.

"I hope you rot in hell Victoria." Bella hissed at the woman on top of her.

Victoria, still reveling in the fact that she pinned Bella, laughed, _"__You thought you could get away from me. You thought you wouldn't ever see me again, didn't you? Well, it may have taken a while to hunt you down Isabella, but I finally have you, and just like you left your mark on James, I'm going to leave a mark on you."_

Bella could feel her rage boiling over. It wasn't fair; this whole mess was ridiculous in Bella's eyes. Why did Victoria have a say in how Bella lived her life? She had no power, and had no right to kill Bella; it was her own fault for ever trying to convert her in the first place. "There are people in the world that fight back, people don't just give up and allow the bullies of the world to push them around. Sometimes a person says no, but you couldn't take no for an answer, so you wasted your existence seeking me out because I beat you the first time. You'll never win Victoria…you're too weak and rely on everyone else to do your dirty work. I'm surprised James didn't rip your head off after you ran away from him."

Bella let out a bitter laugh, "You're such a coward. You think you have control? Do you really think you're going to kill me right now?"

Ignoring everything she just said, Victoria grabbed Bella's hair and yanked her head up high enough that Alice could witness her decapitation. "Any last words for your lover?"

Covered in mud, Bella looked at Alice with determination in her eyes. She gave Alice a quick wink, as if to let her know this was all part of the plan. She blinked so fast though, she wasn't sure if it was a wink or a simple movement of the face.

Alice stared at Bella in shock; she could hear laughter from behind. Maggie was giggling, but so was someone else. James was behind Maggie, too weak and fragile to get a hold of one of the girls himself, he allowed Maggie to do his bidding. This can't happen, there had to be a way out of this. Victoria had to have an Achilles heel, and Alice thought it was her pride. If she boasted so much in her capture, perhaps she wouldn't expect Bella to throw her a curve ball. She wasn't expecting Bella to fight back; she was expecting an easy kill. Bella wasn't going to let that happen though.

"Alice!" Bella yelled, crawling forward in an attempt to reach her. Alice tried moving forward but Maggie's strength kept her glued to the ground. She slammed Alice's face into the cold ground, and forced her to watch Bella and Victoria.

This was it…this was the end. Alice was trapped, there was nothing she could do to save her lover, she failed…

Victoria pushed her knees further into Bella, and attempted to pull her head off, yet with her missing hand it proved to be a lot harder than she imagined. Half her strength went away with her hand, she was severely disabled. She pulled on Bella's hair, but felt resistance much stronger than she was expecting. Victoria knew in that moment that she wasn't going to be able to kill Bella alone, and with James standing across the clearing, Bella would easily kill her before he got close enough to do anything about it.

In Bella's struggle against the ground she managed to free one of her hands, grabbed Victoria's handless arm, and flipped her body over. Taken by surprise, Victoria hit the ground with a loud thud, Bella's grip began crumbling the arm she was holding, causing Victoria to scream a blood curdling scream. Bella towered over Victoria in triumph; the rage she held inside for so long was etched across her face. Victoria's forearm broke into pieces, and Bella started kicking in her mouth repeatedly while she was screaming on the ground, just to shut her up. She stomped Victoria's face with as much strength as she could muster, each strike getting harder and faster, the rage fueled attack quickly silenced Victoria.

Maggie was taken off guard and James, forgetting all about Alice, tried rushing to Victoria to try and help her before Bella kicked her head to dust. Alice took the opportunity to leap up in the air, causing Maggie to go flying backward. She had to get to Bella and help her, but Maggie was back on her feet and right behind her, chasing her as fast as she could.

Alice watched as James approached Bella and tried grabbing her, but while her foot was pounding an oddly silent Victoria to a pulp, she punched James across what remained of his jaw, causing the remainder of his teeth to go flying across the distance. James covered his face and started screaming once more, part of his cheek was gone, leaving the inside of his mouth exposed.

Maggie tried grabbing Alice's shoulder, but she turned around on her heels quickly and caught her off guard. Maggie, short as she could be, stared down Alice. "I can't believe what a bitch you really are Maggie. You couldn't have Bella, so you resorted to trying to kill us." Alice gave a forceful shove, surprising Maggie by how strong Alice really was. She took a few steps back, but caught herself.

"I'm sorry Alice…I didn't know what came over me. I was jealous, I'm sorry…I didn't mean it." Maggie tried to explain, walking backwards, edging closer to the fire full of vampire remains.

"Shut up, you knew exactly what you were doing. Everyone saw it; your own coven saw it. Do you think they want you in their coven anymore after you betrayed us? You're a disgrace, and for what reason? Bella never loved you, she never will love you. You will never have her, because she will always be mine." Alice shoved her once more, pushing her back further this time.

Becoming angry, Maggie finally spoke her true feelings. "Alight fine, I wanted you to die. I'm tired of seeing the two of you walk around like no one else exists. You abandoned Bella, you don't deserve her, and she was too stupid to realize it! I could have been there for her, I never would have forgot her like you did." She moved quickly and jumped on top of Alice, trying to get a hold of her neck.

Alice ran around in circles, trying to get this crazy woman off her body, and the only thing she could get a grip on was her long, red hair. It was like watching a bull ride, with Alice the bucking bull, and Maggie the determined bull rider. Alice spun around quickly, making sure Maggie's hands didn't get to her neck. With both hands now on Maggie's hair and scalp, she gave a quick yank and Maggie's body went limp. Alice felt the weight of her body fall off, but her head was still in her hands. She just decapitated Maggie. Alice took one last look at Maggie's angry face and tossed her head in the fire, making sure the bitch wouldn't have a chance to come back.

That's when her attention went back to Bella, who was stomping Victoria's body to dust. Her foot indent could be seen where Victoria's mouth once was. The only sound was that of Bella's foot coming into contact with her body, Victoria was destroyed, but Bella wasn't stopping.

James approached Bella once again, with half his face missing. He ran after Bella as fast as he could, but because of his disabilities, it wasn't very fast. Alice could see the anger in his eyes, and Bella was far too caught up in stomping Victoria to death to realize that he was coming back for more.

Alice had never actually met James in her lifetime, but she knew the hell he caused the two girls. She knew he was the one responsible for pulling the girls apart in the first place; he was the one that started this entire mess. If it wasn't for him, the girls would have hopefully lived out their human existence together. Here he was again, for no apparent reason other than revenge for something he was asking for, trying to tear the girls apart. The anger Alice carried for this stranger suddenly consumed her, and without really thinking about what she was doing, Alice picked up Maggie's flaming head from the fire, and started running for James.

She must've looked like a mad woman, running across the clearing with a flaming head in her hands, but she didn't care. He was about to attack Bella, and she wasn't going to let that happen. No one was going to hurt them anymore. James had to die.

"Bella, look out!" Alice yelled, getting Bella's attention and stepping out of the way right before James got a grasp on her. James turned around in anger, and was met with a flaming head to the remains of his face. He immediately tried to cover up and save the rest of his face, but it had caught fire. James started yelling in agony while Alice continued to beat him with Maggie's flaming head, catching his clothes on fire and lighting the rest of his body up within seconds.

He attempted to take off his clothes, and fell to the ground still yelling. The remaining newborns watched as James had his body bashed in and set on fire. They were no longer fighting the Cullens.

"Die already! Just die!" Alice shouted as James continued screaming on the ground.

"I hate you! I hate what you did to us! You lost, do you hear me? You'll never have the chance to come back." Alice gave James a swift kick to his head in anger, causing it to go flying off his body like a soccer ball reaching its goal. His body stopped moving, and Alice finally let go of the flaming head, and immediately took off her jacket, which had caught fire on the sleeve. Bella, was back to stomping Victoria's body, the anger inside her still immense.

"Bella, honey, stop it's over. She's dead." Alice approached Bella, who wasn't stopping. Alice threw her flaming jacket on top of Victoria's body, setting it on fire before Bella did any more damage. Bella stopped, caught off guard by the flames. She wasn't done yet, although she knew Victoria's soul was long gone, her body remained for beating.

"Wait, the picture!" Bella shouted. Victoria's body was quickly going up in flames, and the picture was still on her, somewhere.

Alice bent down before Bella put her hands on Victoria's flaming body, and reached into one of her pants pocket, the only one that wasn't on fire yet, and hoped that the picture was in there. She felt the soft texture of the photo, and pulled it out quickly. The edge was burning and Alice immediately put it out. It was in rough condition, wrinkled and torn a bit more than when she last saw it, but it was still intact. Alice stood up, and walked around Victoria's body, handing the picture to the now innocent looking Bella. Her facial expression changed completely in a matter of seconds.

The remainder newborns stopped dead in their tracks as they watched the body of their leader's burn. The Cullens, along with their allies stared after Bella and Alice. Jasper was trying to put the pieces of Danielle back together, her body wasn't on fire so she was still able to be saved. Rosalie had a bunch of bite marks along her face and neck, to which Emmett looked like a wounded puppy over. Carlisle had burns to his shirt, along with the Denali coven, but they weren't wounded in any way. A few of Jake's pack had been severely beaten and broken by fleeing newborns, but they would recover in time. Most of his pack was gone, chasing after the newborns that ran off, making sure they knew they weren't welcome here anymore. Zafrina ran off into the forest with the pack, enjoying the chase. Matthew was among the newborns, trying to keep what remained of them to stop fighting. He had a limp to his walk and looked completely shocked at what just happened. The Irish coven stared into the fire after Maggie's body; there were no words for them to express what they were feeling. Maggie's flaming head remained next to James body, where Alice stood inches away from Bella, feeling ashamed for what she did. She didn't have to use Maggie's head as a weapon, but it happened. She didn't know if Carlisle would lose them as allies now because of the events that took place. Maggie had been in their coven for hundreds of years, now she was dead, just like that.

It was over, as quick as it started, it ended. No more James or Victoria, their worries were over. They could do whatever they wanted, run away together, have a life together, get married even. The future was finally there's to live in whatever way they chose.

Bella's face was covered in mud, and was clinging onto the photo for dear life, but Alice never saw something more beautiful. She thought Bella was going to die only moments ago, but here she stood, the love of her life. Bella looked as if she was going to cry, relief flooded her face. She wanted nothing more than to hold Alice in her arms.

"Bella, are you alright?" Edward approached the girls, almost taking them out of their moment.

"Get the hell out of my way, Edward." Bella pushed Edward out of her way, and he stumbled back, surprised. He didn't get in their way again.

She closed the distance between herself and Alice, and hugged her as tight as she could. She didn't care if she was covered in mud, she gave Alice the kiss of her life, and Alice returned just as eagerly.

"I love you so much Bella. I thought I was going to lose you." Alice buried her head against Bella's shoulder, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

"You were the one who was supposed to think positive, remember? Have you no faith in me, darling?" Bella choked out a reply, a dry sob forcing its way out of her. She kissed Alice on the forehead, and continued to hold her tight.

"If you want to live, leave now. Don't ever return." Carlisle's voice boomed over everyone.

The few that remained, all looked to one another and decided it was best to leave while they still could. If they tore apart their leaders, then they stood no chance. Matthew wasn't sure if it was okay to stay with the Cullens, or if he had to leave as well. He looked to Carlisle, who looked back in sympathy.

"If you'd like Matthew, you can stay with us." Carlisle offered.

"I'd like that Carlisle, thank you." Matthew quietly responded, as he watched everyone leave. The burning bodies lighting the night sky, the silhouettes retreated back into the forest, never to be seen in this part of the world again.

"My angel, of course I have faith in you. I just couldn't help being afraid when I saw the grip she had on you. I had a vision earlier today, and although I didn't see anyone die, I was afraid the screaming I heard was coming from you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I didn't want to cause unnecessary worry."

Bella stared at Alice in silence for a second, but she really didn't care at the moment, "It doesn't matter anyway. I have you in my arms, safe and sound. That's the only thing that matters."

Alice felt pressure on her chest, and could feel her own dry sobs starting come out. She was full of so many different emotions; the only way she was getting relief was through her sobbing. "It's all over Bella. We can finally continue where we left off all those years ago."

"At last" said Bella.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading my long chapters :) I'm not quite finished with this story...but I don't want to reveal anything planned for the last chapter. Until next time.**


	24. Chapter 24

_Christmas Eve_

The days after the battle came and went, everyone went back home, the newborns were nowhere in sight, and things seemed normal for the first time since Bella arrived in Forks. The Irish coven apologized for Maggie's behavior, honestly ashamed for what the girl had attempted to do. Alice apologized for using Maggie's head as a weapon, and realized she went a bit overboard in her revenge. Of course they were upset for how Alice treated Maggie, but by that time Maggie was already gone, and it was just a body. They left without much else to say, and the Cullens were unsure if they would ever see them again due to the circumstances.

The Denali coven left right after the fight ended, afraid a run in with the Volturi might happen, but no one ever showed up. Zafrina stayed a while to talk with Jacob and his pack; there was an unlikely bond between the vampire and beast. Perhaps it would lead to a more civilized relationship between the species. Matthew stayed with the Cullens, sharing a room with Edward until Alice moved all of her things out of her old room. She was moving in with Bella, and was eager to finally have peace in her life. Danielle recovered eventually, her and Jasper stayed in their room in the days passed. The rest of the Cullens went on with their normal lifestyle, for another fight was nothing to them. They were glad to have James and Victoria out of the way for good, especially for the sake of Alice and Bella.

Snow started to fall outside the Cullen household while the girls were moving Alice's belongings to Bella's truck. Her room was almost cleared out, there were just a few other things remaining before she was completely moved out. She was glad Matthew was taking her place in the house, although Alice would always consider herself a Cullen, she had to take time for herself and get away from her large family. She loved them all dearly, and couldn't have ever asked for a better family, but she desperately wanted time with Bella. With the fight behind them, Alice felt she had some things to discuss with Bella, most importantly about her attitude and the way she treated her. The words Victoria said about their relationship stung, because she could see why Victoria might have gotten the wrong idea. She loved Bella with all her heart, but maybe she didn't make that clear to Bella. Her mind was too wrapped up in fighting James and Victoria, and Bella was put on the back burner.

Alice put the last box of her belongings in the back of Bella's truck, the night sky quickly making its presence known. Bella made her way out of the house, closing the door quietly behind her, and approached Alice with a smile on her face. Bella seemed happier the past few days; the knowledge that there was no immediate danger to them anymore brought everyone to peace.

"Are you ready my love?" Bella wrapped her arms around Alice's waist and held her girlfriend tight, whispering in her ear. The shorter girl replied eagerly, inhaling Bella's scent. Lately, she couldn't get enough of it. She felt like a kid in love for the first time.

"Yes, let's go home." Alice smiled, allowing Bella to open the passenger side door for her. She closed it softly and made her way to the driver's side. The old, reliable truck started, and off the two girls went. There was no need to say goodbye to the Cullens, they were going to see them soon enough. If they needed anything, Alice made sure to tell them to call first before anyone came over.

The car ride was silent for the most part; Bella had her free hand placed on Alice's thigh while the other stayed on the steering wheel. Alice stared at Bella, and wondered what she did right to have someone as amazing, and devoted as her want to be with her. Alice never knew she was out there, she never knew Bella existed until that one fateful day when she walked into their house. If there was a God, then he clearly wanted the two girls to be together. If after all that time apart and Bella never stopped loving her, it had to be their destiny. Alice felt as if she didn't deserve someone like Bella; she felt she never showed Bella any sign of devotion, at least not as much as Bella had.

"Do you believe in fate…Bella?" Alice said in a low voice. She stared out of the window at first, watching the flakes of snow fly by.

Bella took her eyes off the road for a brief moment to look at Alice quizzically. "Yes actually, I do. I mean I thought I didn't at first, but what after happened with us…how can it not exist?"

Alice nodded her head, "That's what I was thinking. I don't know how you did it Bella. How could you have never loved another for all that time?"

"It's simple really. I only ever loved you. I never cared about anyone else romantically, once I had you, no one else could compare. I'd rather have lived my life alone than attempt to find love elsewhere. It wouldn't have been fair, because I knew I could never love anyone else like I love you." Bella stared straight ahead.

"How do you feel about my relationships before I knew about us? Be honest with me. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Of course it does, but there's nothing I can do about that. You didn't know I existed, and I can't be mad at you for that. Do you think if you knew who I was…would you have still been in those other relationships?"

"No, never." Alice replied truthfully, finally looking away from the window and faced Bella.

"Then there's nothing to be upset about. Are you okay Alice, it seems like something is bothering you."

"I just…I feel like I don't deserve you sometimes. I haven't treated you very well at times, and it's taken me some time to realize how much you actually mean to me. I'm sorry Bella; I never wanted to hurt you. I'm scared that I've already hurt you too much."

"Yes, it hurt knowing that you had no idea who I was, but I couldn't have expected you to instantly fall head over heels in love with a stranger. I mean, it didn't take long before you came around, but I knew it would take time for you to understand what you are to me. If you were in my shoes, would you be mad at me for being in a relationship when I had no clue you existed?" Bella asked.

"How could I resist someone as beautiful as you? And I didn't completely forget about you…I had visions of you in the past…I just didn't know it was you. My mind told me that I loved you long before you actually walked into my life. And no, I suppose I wouldn't be mad at you, it doesn't make sense to be mad about something you can't control."

The girls arrived at Bella's house, and Bella pulled the truck up as close as she could get it to the front door. The orange glow of light inside the house was very welcoming. Bella turned off the ignition and looked at Alice. "What is your mind telling you now?"

"That I wasted the last ninety years of my life with the wrong people…that I never want to let you out of my sight…that I want to spend the rest of my existence by your side." said Alice. She pushed herself closer to Bella, and kissed her, knowing she was kissing the woman she always dreamed about. She was one of the lucky ones; everything she wanted was sitting right next to her.

Bella was oddly quiet, a simple smile spread across her lips, almost as if she knew what Alice felt all along, even before Alice knew it herself. "Let's go inside darling. We can unpack some of your stuff and open gifts."

Alice nodded her head, unsure of what to think of Bella's response, but she knew it wasn't bad. With her thoughts leaving Bella's reaction, she focused on the gift she was going to give Bella. Actually, there were two major gifts, and a bunch of smaller ones. She wanted to spoil Bella with clothes, and various gifts. Most of them were for her house, because Alice was a girl who loved modern technology and couldn't live without some of her gadgets.

Bella unlocked her front door, and held it open for Alice to walk in. A Christmas tree was set up in the corner of the room, decorated with red and gold ornaments, with numerous gifts beneath it. The scent of pine filled the room, and a small fire blazed in the fire place on the opposite side of the room. Alice insisted on decorating the house for the holidays, Bella hadn't had a proper Christmas in decades, probably since she was still mortal. This Christmas had to be special for Bella; Alice wanted to make sure of it.

"I'll get the rest of your things from my truck, sit down and get comfortable. We can open a few gifts tonight and bring in Christmas together." Bella smiled and disappeared back outside before Alice could respond.

Alice stared at the front door for a moment, and then made her way to the sofa next to the Christmas tree. She stared into the fire, realizing how unnecessary it was for warmth, but how it made the place seem so much more romantic. Her eyes roamed above the fireplace to the newly acquired stockings that Esme knitted for the both of them. One with Alice's name, decorated with girly things like pictures of lipstick and makeup. And then there was Bella's, decorated in an old fashioned sort of way, simple and red. There was a bell at the end, which Bella found cute. Both of their names were sewn at the top of their stockings. She was surprised Esme made her something like this, and even though her stocking was simple, that was just the way Bella liked it.

All the gifts, except for one, were sitting underneath the tree. One gift Alice kept on her at all times, she wasn't sure if it would be the right time to give her this gift, but her mind kept telling her yes, that they've waited long enough and both knew they would never leave each other's side. A small blue box sat securely inside of her pocket, and Alice touched the outside of her pocket just to make sure it was still there.

The good thing about the fight being over, and having the wolves return to their own territory, is that Alice's visions came back, clearer than ever before. Over the past few days, visions of both her future and past life with Bella came. Although her visions of her past were often short and aided by Bella telling her about that moment after she had her vision, she was starting to put all the pieces of her past life together. She had always wanted to know what her mortal life was like, and Bella promised that she would take her to Biloxi one day and show her where they used to live, and try to explain her life the best that she could. Bella only knew the part when she was in Alice's life, she wouldn't be able to help finding out about her mother who passed away before they met. Of course Alice would find out as much as she could though, and Bella would be right there beside her.

Speaking of visions, Alice had a vision earlier that day, although quick, she knew exactly what it meant. She could hardly contain the joy she felt once the vision was over. She was in a hurry to get to Bella's house just to live out that moment and actually have it happen.

_Alice stared at Bella eagerly, excitement boiling over inside of her. "Will you?"_

"_Yes…a thousand times yes!" Bella blurted out, finally meeting Alice's gaze._

The front door slammed shut, causing Alice to look up. Bella was carrying Alice's boxes of belongings into the bedroom. "Do you realize that most of this stuff is clothing?"

Alice smiled, trying to cover up the excitement she suddenly felt. She placed her hand over her mouth in attempt to hide her ridiculous smile, and looked toward the bedroom door.

"Of course I know that silly. You can't expect me to move in without my wardrobe, now can you?"

Bella dropped the boxes down on the floor in a loud thud, "A girl can dream."

Alice laughed, "Just get in here, will you? I want to open presents now."

Bella walked back out into the living room, holding a Santa hat in her hands. She stared at Alice, who looked back innocently. "I saw this was at the top of the box, along with a skimpy little number to go along with it."

"That's my Mrs. Claus costume." Alice simply stated.

"Yeah…are you going to wear it?" Bella asked, tossing the hat in the direction of Alice, who caught it with one hand. Bella took off her coat, and placed it on the coatrack, and made her way to the sofa where Alice still sat.

"Maybe"

"Maybe?" Bella sat down, arching her eyebrows in response.

"Yes, you have to be a good girl if you want to see Mrs. Claus make an appearance."

Bella pouted, "But I don't want to be good. I want to be bad."

Alice chuckled, "No Bella, you have to be good and behave. She might come visit you in the middle of the night, don't you want that?"

"Of course I want that. What exactly do I have to do in order to guarantee this visit?"

"It's simple, just be the good little girl that you always are. Obey her, do everything she wants."

"Oh, so I have to be her slave?" Bella frowned.

"Yes, exactly." Alice placed the hat on top of Bella's head, and adjusted it to her liking.

"Sounds good to me!" Bella grabbed Alice by the waist and pulled her closer, kissing her along the neck and cheek.

Alice stopped moving when she felt Bella's tongue dart across her neck. The pleasurable sensation caused all previous thoughts to be abandoned momentarily. She let out a small moan, and allowed Bella to push her body back against the edge of the sofa. Her girlfriend crawled on top of her, straddling her at the waist all while continuing to nibble and suck along her neck.

The box in her pocket was on the verge of being smashed by Bella's body, and Alice snapped out of the moment when she realized this. Bella's hips were grinding hard against Alice, and it took almost everything she had to open her eyes and try to move Bella forward without her noticing anything.

Bella sat up, realizing Alice was reaching for something, but she didn't know what. "What are you doing honey? Got something in your pants?"

Alice looked back at Bella, who smiled back at her. "Yes, it's a gift actually. I don't want it damaged."

"Oh really, can I see it now?" Bella reached toward where Alice's hand was trying to frantically push the box deeper in her pocket, but it was no use. Bella was now trying to push Alice's hand out of the way to reach inside her pocket.

"Bella, remember what I said about Mrs. Claus?" Alice said, struggling to get Bella to stop reaching in her pocket, although it felt really good.

"But we're supposed to open presents tonight, right? I want to open the one in your pocket." Bella smiled, no longer trying to reach inside Alice's pocket.

"You can open it, but please, allow me to present it to you in the right way. I want it to be perfect." Alice sat up, and Bella slid back down to her thighs.

"Okay, so show me what it is. I won't try to take it out of your hands, I promise."

Alice looked at Bella hesitantly, her nerves growing although she knew what the answer would be. "Close your eyes Bella, and no peeking. Don't spoil it for yourself." She poked her finger against Bella's chest, causing her to laugh.

"Oh, all right." Bella closed her eyes and placed her hand over them for good measure.

Alice reached into her pocket, maneuvering her way around Bella's weight, and finally pulled out the dark blue box. There was no wrapping paper needed for this gift, it was obvious that it was a ring box. Inside it contained a brilliant diamond engagement ring, just waiting for Bella's permission to be worn on her finger.

"Now before you open your eyes, allow me to tell you something. No peeking Bella, I mean it." Alice said.

"I'm not peeking!" Bella laughed. She had an idea of what it was, but then again felt as if Alice wasn't ready for that kind of commitment and shrugged the idea off before she got her hopes up. However, there weren't many gifts out there that would fit in a pocket…

"From the moment I laid eyes on you Isabella Swan, I knew there was something special about you. I didn't know at first what kind of impact you would have on my life, and what started as a confused first encounter, turned into something I would have never guessed possible. You are the love of my life, and you always have been. You don't know how many times I wish I could remember my life spent with you before we were separated, because I know it must've been one hell of a good life with you by my side. My family aside, I could tell that our bond was strong, and although my mind forgot mostly everything about my past, I never completely forgot you. I saw you, I just didn't know you. Now I have you…it was our destiny to be together always. You've showed me the kind of love I've always wanted, I knew there had to be more to love than what I experienced with anyone else, I felt like something was always missing…and now I know it was you."

Bella wasn't laughing anymore. Her mouth was open slightly, listening intently to every word Alice had to say.

"I am so madly in love with you, and I've been so stupid to push you aside for this long. I didn't deserve your love or devotion, and you actually scared me for a while. I know I must've had a deep impact on your life for you to commit your entire existence to me, even when you thought I was dead. I don't know what I did to make you feel that way, but I don't want to push you aside anymore Bella. I want us to live together, side by side for the rest of our lives. I will never let anything get in-between us again; it's you and me together, forever if you'll allow me the honor."

"What are you saying, Alice?" asked Bella, her hand threatening to drop from her face.

"Open your eyes, my angel, and see." whispered Alice.

Bella removed her hand and slowly opened her eyes to see a shining diamond sitting peacefully in a navy blue box. She gasped as her eyes widened, her fingertips finding their way to her mouth.

"Will you marry me, Isabella Swan?"

Bella was silent, still staring at the ring in shock.

"Don't make me wait another hundred years to have you as my wife." Alice said when Bella didn't respond.

Bella began slowly nodding her head, but had not answered verbally.

"Will you?"

"Yes…a thousand times, yes!" Bella finally came to her senses, and looked into Alice's golden eyes.

Alice was too stunned to say anything, so she stared back at the love of her life. She knew Bella's answer already, but experiencing the real thing was a lot better than seeing it in her vision. Bella crashed her lips against Alice's own, and that seemed to bring her back to her right mind. The soft lips of her now fiancé registered in her mind, and she immediately returned the kiss. The ring still sat peacefully in Alice's hand, while Bella devoured her lips.

"I can't believe this is happening." Bella broke the kiss, and spoke into Alice's ear. She held her fiancé tight; she never thought this moment would come.

"Hold out your hand for me sweetie. I want to see what it looks like on you." Alice pulled the ring out of the box, and took hold of Bella's hand. She slid the ring on slowly, and it was a perfect fit. Bella held out her hand and examined the ring in awe. It felt like a dream come true, Alice just proposed to her.

"I didn't get you a ring. I didn't think you were ready to take this step…otherwise I would have bought one and done the same thing." Bella made the comment when she realized Bella hadn't gotten Alice anything quite as good as this.

"Honey, don't you remember? You got me this ring all those years ago?" Alice showed Bella her own hand, which held the ring Alice had with her all those years but never quite knew what it was until recently.

"We were technically engaged this entire time, but now we both have rings." Alice kissed Bella lovingly.

"Can we get married now?" Bella asked, half joking.

Alice laughed, "Why don't we wait until the end of the school year? Once we're finished with school, we can run away together, go wherever we want. The world is ours, and it will always be there waiting for us. I'm not going anywhere, and it'll give us time to plan the perfect wedding. I have so many ideas; I want it to be perfect for us. Don't you?"

Bella sighed, "I suppose you're right. I didn't wait all this time to marry you in a quickie. It must be perfect, because you're my perfect girl. I wouldn't want anything but the best for you."

Alice laced her fingers in-between Bella's own, and smiled. "I feel so blessed to have you Bella. I feel like we were truly meant to be together, forever."

"Of course we were. I always knew I belonged to you. That's why I never stopped loving you."

There were no words that could describe what Alice was feeling in that moment. She had never before felt so much love for someone than she did with Bella. Her life with Bella would be everlasting; no one would ever come close to how she felt toward her. What started off as a chance meeting with this strange, yet vaguely familiar woman turned into the best thing that ever happened to Alice. Bella came and captured Alice's heart just like that, but who is to say that it wasn't always Bella's to begin with?

"I have something I want to give you now." Bella said as she moved off of Alice's legs. She walked over toward the Christmas tree, and pulled out a small box hidden behind the rest of the presents. It wasn't a ring box, but Alice could tell it was some sort of box that held jewelry.

She sat back down in front of Alice, and handed it to her. Alice took the small box covered in wacky penguin wrapping paper, and gently tore into it. She tore the edges, and the box was able to slip right out. A maroon box with no lettering on it sat in her hands, and Alice looked up to Bella who was concentrating on the box. With nothing else spoken, Alice opened the lid of the box, and saw a silver locket sitting on a patch of cotton, just waiting for her.

"It was my mothers. I found it here when I bought this place, like it was just waiting for me. There were so few things that my parents left behind and this was one of them. I guess she must've misplaced it, or my dad had it until the day he died. Anyway, I'd like for you to have it." Bella met Alice's gaze.

"That's so sweet of you Bella. Thank you." Alice opened the locket, and found an ancient photo of a baby on the left side, and then the teenage version of Bella on the right. "Is this a picture of you as a baby?"

"Yes, aren't I adorable?" Bella laughed, but Alice could tell something was off about the way she laughed. It was a sad sort of laugh, like looking into the past was painful for her.

"You're beautiful, and you always have been. I'm sorry you were taken away from your family, they must have really loved you."

"They thought I was dead…I suppose it doesn't matter now, but you don't know how many times I wanted to go home."

"You're home now Bella. If only they could see you now, they'd be so proud of you. All that you've been through, and you're still here."

"Maybe somewhere out there, they can see me." Bella said in a dreamy sort of voice.

"Perhaps you're right." Alice took hold of Bella's hand, who seemed to come out of her trance from contact.

"Here, let me help you put it on." Bella said, and Alice pushed what little hair she had out of the way. She wrapped the necklace around her neck, and fastened in gently. Her hand lingered on Alice's neck as she moved her lips closer and kissed her against the neck from behind.

"I love you Mary Alice Brandon." She whispered.

"And I love you, Isabella Marie Swan." Alice closed her eyes.

The rest of the evening the girls spent opening gifts. Bella received a new cell phone, a computer, a television, and thousands of dollars' worth of clothes that Bella would probably never wear. The only other gift that had a deeper meaning was the blown up photo of Bella and Alice that Bella kept in her wallet. Alice had taken the time to get it touched up, enlarged and set in a frame. It would go great above the fireplace. Bella gave Alice a bunch of old records, a few skimpy outfits that she wanted to see Alice wear, leather car seat covers, and a few classic novels.

Alice would never forget this wonderful night for as long as she lived. The pain of their past still evident in their lives, but together they would be able to move on as one. This was only the beginning of their eternity together, as long as they had each other, everything would be okay.

_Six months later_

Bella's house had never been so pack and full of eccentric characters as it was now. This was the first wedding where both vampires and shape shifters were invited. Although there was a definite gap they kept between each other, everyone seemed to get along smashingly. Carlisle had opened his little black book of vampires once again, but this time it was for a good reason instead of bad. That's why so many more vampires were present; they wanted to show their loyalty to the Cullens, even if it was only under certain circumstances. The Volturi even received an invitation; however none of them showed up. Bella would just have to wait to meet the infamous Volturi, not that she was looking forward to it. She was glad they weren't there. It was her wedding, she should have a say in who would be there.

The girls hadn't seen each other since the day before, each promising that they wouldn't lay eyes on the other until they walked down the aisle, saving the surprise for the altar. Alice kept her word about making the wedding absolutely perfect. Although there were a ton of people Bella never met before, it was private enough that no one would have noticed anything unusual going on if they happened to pass by their house. The ceremony took place in the backyard; a clearing was specifically made for this moment. With the tall, vibrant green trees behind them, and flowers freshly bloomed, the setting was rather beautiful. A pastor from one of the local churches came out to do the ceremony; luckily it was a cloudy day. However, some of the guests had a problem with a human being in such close proximity to them, but they managed to keep their hunger at bay, at least until the ceremony was over. This was going to be a peaceful event, Carlisle made them promise.

While Alice took over the bedroom with Rosalie, Danielle and Esme by her side, Bella was already finished getting ready, and she stood outside in her strapless wedding dress. It was white, silky, simple, and flowed all the way down the length of Bella's body. It was perfect for her, and she knew Alice's dress was going to be a bit fancier than her own. Unlike her fiancé, she wasn't big on dresses or makeup. She had someone fix her hair and makeup at Alice's insistence, but that's as much as she wanted. Alice had a team of people in the bedroom doing God knows what to her. It had to be perfect for Alice though, so Bella didn't mind one bit. She would have fun destroying whatever her stylist did later that night anyway, so it didn't really matter in the long run.

She kneeled down before the two gray headstones off in the corner of the backyard, and far enough away from the crowd. Her parents' names were etched on the front of the stones, along with their birth and death dates. She had their headstones restored to a better condition than what they were in when she first moved in, and planted a garden of beautiful lilies that surrounded them. Lilies were her mother's favorite flower; she remembered her father would often bring home lilies for her mother, and how she would adore them. Looking at their headstones sent a pain to her unbeating heart, she would always miss them. She wished they could be here to finally see her get married to the woman of her dreams. Although Bella never came right out and said she was in love with Mary Alice, they knew, and supported her.

"Dad, your little girl is finally getting married…it only took a hundred years." Bella mumbled to her father's headstone. She looked around to make sure no one was listening.

"I'm sure you remember Mary Alice, our old neighbor from Biloxi? Well the thing is, I love her, and I always have. After she left, I thought I'd never love again, and I never did. I think you already knew that though, I never really tried concealing my feelings for her. I fell in love with Alice the first time I saw her. They had just moved in down the road, and I remember looking out my window, and seeing the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, even if she was far away. I knew she was magnificent."

Bella pushed her dress up higher, making sure not to get any dirt on it.

"Mom, she makes me happy. Happier than I've ever been before…I hope wherever you are; you can see how happy I am. She makes me feel like I'm in heaven, no one could ever compare to my Mary Alice. She's in there right now with her family, getting ready. We're going to be married in just a few short minutes. The moment I've dreamed of for most of my existence is about to happen, can you believe that?"

She touched the ground below her, knowing the only thing beneath her were the bones of her former parents, their souls were long gone. "I love her so much. I'm so happy…I wish you were both here right now. I love you mom and dad."

She continued to kneel there, just staring at the headstones, and wondering if there was an afterlife, and if her parents were somewhere, looking down on her right now. She wondered if they would be proud of her, or happy that she was finally getting what she wanted. In the end, it didn't really matter if they could see her or not, she was getting what she wanted after all these years of misery. Happiness finally found its way to Bella once more.

"Bella, it's almost time to start." Carlisle's voice came from behind her.

Bella stood up from her position and turned to Carlisle with a smile on her face. He looked down at the headstones, and then back up to Bella. "Sorry about that Carlisle. I just wanted to have a word with my parents. You know, I just miss them sometimes."

"I'm certain that you do. Even I miss my parents sometimes, although that was centuries ago, I still think about them from time to time. You know what helps me though? The family I have now. We may not really be Alice's parents, but we still love her like our daughter. We love all our children like our own, and we consider you one of our children too Bella."

Bella was quiet; but smiling from the comment. In a way he was like her father, he cared for her like his own just as he said; he watched out for their well-being, they all had. Esme was the perfect mother, caring for all her children and trying her best to make sure they were happy. Even their children acted as perfect annoying siblings, with Edward being the most annoying of them all. They were her family now, and that brought comfort to her.

"You know Carlisle; I think my parents would be happy to know that you're my adopted father, and Esme my adopted mother. I couldn't have asked for a better family than your own, and I'm happy to be a part of it. I never had siblings before; I was an only child…now I have seven of them. Not including my future wife, of course." Bella took a few steps closer to Carlisle, and moved further away from her parent's graves.

"You know if you want Bella, I could walk you down the aisle too. Either me or Edward could…"

"No…not Edward. Besides, Jacob already promised he would walk me down the aisle." Bella cut Carlisle off before he had a chance to finish his sentence.

"Good, I didn't think you'd want that anyway." Carlisle chuckled, and the two of them walked to join the ceremony.

Jacob was waiting for Bella at the end of the white carpeted aisle. Edward offered to play the piano during the service, and was currently playing background music before he began playing the Wedding March. Rosalie and Esme were still yet to be seen, but Emmett was informed that Alice was just about ready, and that the ceremony could begin soon.

Jacob stood in his classic black and white tuxedo, smiling down at Bella. "You look wonderful. Your parents would be happy for you Bella, I'm sure. I know I'm not your father, but I just wanted you to know that I'll always be here for you; to protect you just as your own father would if he were still here. I wish you the best of luck with Alice, I mean it. I do hope the two of you are truly happy together."

"Thank you Jacob, for everything. I never would have imagined I'd be here, getting ready to marry Alice, and with you walking me down the aisle. It's surreal."

"I know what you mean. Just try to imagine telling yourself this is what your wedding was going to be like when you were still human, getting married to a vampire, and all the guests are supernatural beings." Jacob laughed and Bella joined in.

"I would have never imagined a wedding so ridiculous, but here we are." Bella smiled, and Edward began playing, notifying her that it was time to begin. Jacob had his arm stretched out for Bella to take hold of, so she wrapped her arms around his and they began walking.

One side of the aisle consisted of vampires, and the other of shape shifters. The wedding was clearly divided, but none of that seemed to matter when Bella began walking. Everyone stood for Bella, just as they would for any bride. However, Bella couldn't care less if they stood for her. They should be standing for her beautiful wife to be, who would make her appearance shortly. Esme and Rosalie found their spots on the front row and smiled lovingly toward Bella. Over the months the girls had gotten to know each other better, Bella was no longer a stranger to the Cullens, she was one of them.

Esme mouthed the words, "You look beautiful" to Bella as she passed by. Emmett and Jasper stood next to Rosalie, both grinning from ear to ear. Their sister was going to be married, it didn't matter to Jasper that Alice was his former love anymore, he loved Danielle and that was all that mattered.

Danielle was still with Alice, fully recovered from the attack by the newborns; Danielle had backed off from the girls completely once she learned of their engagement. Bella reached the altar, and waited patiently for Alice. There was no rushing this wedding, they would have forever together, if Alice was going to be fashionably late; then so be it. Jacob stood behind Bella, who was also her best man.

"Danielle, are you sure I look okay?" Alice asked as she looked at herself in the mirror one last time. Her cream colored, lace wedding dress flowed beautifully down the length of her legs. Bella's locket hung from her neck, and complimented the dress well. Alice was beautiful, everything someone would want in a bride, but she wanted perfection for Bella. This was the wedding of the century in their eyes.

"I already told you that you look amazing Alice. You don't want to make Bella wait, now do you?" Danielle approached Alice from behind, and looked in the mirror with her. She wore a dark violet, knee length dress. The scars of her attack were barely visible now, Carlisle did a good job of setting her back together just right.

"No…I just want to be my best for her." Alice stared at Danielle through the mirror.

"And you are. She will be knocked off her feet when she sees you." Danielle spun Alice around to face her. "Now go out there and get married."

Alice smiled, "Thank you Danielle. For everything, I know it must've not been easy for you."

"The past is the past. This is your future, it's your day today Alice. I love Bella; she is one of us now. I know she'll treat you well, and that's all I ever wanted for you. Just be happy."

"I will"

The former lovers stared at one another for a moment, but Danielle broke the silence. "Bella is going to wonder what happened to you if you don't get out there now. You've made her wait this long, don't make her wait anymore."

Alice nodded and together they walked outside, where Carlisle was waiting to walk her down the aisle. Danielle walked down the aisle by herself, and smiled as she looked at Bella who couldn't tear her eyes away from Alice.

"She's so beautiful" Bella whispered to no one in particular.

Danielle took her place, and everyone stared at Alice as she approached the aisle with her father. If vampires could cry, there would be a flood of tears. Edward picked up on the piano once more, and Carlisle looked to his adopted daughter with love in his eyes.

"Are you ready?" Carlisle asked.

Alice nodded her head, "I've always been ready."

The bond between Bella and Alice had grown stronger over the past few months as they planned their wedding together. Neither girl thought it was possible for them to love the other more than they already had, but they were proven wrong over the course of time. Alice and Bella were inseparable, every moment of their existence was spent by each other's side, and when they couldn't be together, it was torture. The girls finally finished school together, and said good bye to pretending to be cousins. They were finally free to get married and travel wherever they wanted. The thought of running away with Bella crossed Alice's mind over the past few months, but she knew it would be worth the wait to get married in the summer, and she was right. She couldn't have asked for anything better, because this was perfect.

Together, Carlisle and Alice arrived at the altar. Esme had her hands clasped over her mouth, Rosalie and Emmett were glued to each other's side, and Jasper looked on lovingly while Edward watched from behind the piano. Matthew, the newly adopted vampire, stood next to Esme with a light smile on his face. He was happy the girls were getting married, it sort of felt like closure to him. James and Victoria were really gone, and the two sweetest girls he had ever met were getting married.

Alice and Bella stared at each other, with every step Alice took, Bella's smile became wider. This was finally happening; she was going to marry the love of her life. The girl, who was forever lost, was found. No matter how cruel the world seemed to Bella for all those years, none of it mattered once she was reunited with Alice. She would go through hell for this girl, just be able to hold her in her arms once more. The beautiful Mary Alice, after a century lost, finally returned to Bella. Bella was truly happy for the first time in her existence as a vampire, she would get to spend forever with her love, never growing old, never growing tired of each other. This was forever.

Carlisle kissed Alice on the forehead and let go of her arm. He took his seat next to Esme, who grabbed on to him as soon as he sat down. Alice took hold of Bella's hand, and laughed quietly. She was happy, and she was madly in love with this girl in front of her. She felt as if she knew Bella her entire life and she really had. They were best friends, they were lovers, and they would always have each other. Alice couldn't live without Bella, she didn't know how she even existed before Bella came into her life. Alice was lost and broken, and Bella came and healed all her wounds just like that.

"You're absolutely stunning." Bella whispered.

"And you're gorgeous as always my angel."

"Let's begin, shall we?" The pastor smiled down on the girls. Never had he seen a wedding with so many beautiful people attending. He knew something was peculiar about the ceremony, but was polite enough not to ask any questions.

"We're gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of Miss Mary Alice Cullen and Miss Isabella Marie Swan." The pastor began the usual introduction, and continued his speech as he normally would. The entire time Alice and Bella looked at one another, never blinking, and never straying unless the pastor made a witty remark. When the time came for the pastor to ask if there were any objections to their union, Bella stared particularly at Edward, but when he didn't say anything, she relaxed once more. It wasn't that he was still trying to get Bella's attention, because he stopped that the moment the girls were engaged, but she never knew if he might have tried something.

"The girls have prepared their own speeches, so Miss Cullen if you'd like to begin, you may do so at this time." The pastor smiled at Alice.

Alice nodded her head and silently thanked the pastor. "Bella, I must admit the first time I met you, I was taken by surprise. You were a beautiful stranger, but somehow familiar to me. I was intrigued by you and I was curious as to why my heart felt if I had known you all my life. It took me a while to realize just how deep I had fallen in love with you, but once I finally had a clear vision on things, I realized just what a treasure you really are. You're the love of my life, Isabella Swan. We're meant to be together forever, if the fates have allowed us to come together once again after all this time, then surely it must be our destiny. I can't imagine my life without you, and I promise you I will never leave your side. I will be there with you always, until the end of time. You have my heart, you always have. My love for you is everlasting."

The pastor seemed confused by part of Alice's speech, but thought nothing of it, and continued to Bella. "Miss Swan, if you will."

Smiling from ear to ear, Bella began her speech. "My darling Alice, how I have dreamed of this moment for most of my existence. In my darkest day, of my darkest hour, all it took was thinking of you to bring me out of it. Just the thought of you, even when I had lost you, made everything better. I never thought I would have the chance to see your beautiful face again, but here we are. My love, forever with you will never be enough to satisfy me. I never want to let you out of my sight, and I never will. It's you and me, for all eternity. I have always craved you, from the first time I laid eyes on you all those years ago. How would I have ever known a few stolen glances at the gorgeous girl next door would turn into what it is now? I've always loved you Alice, and I always will. I promise to keep you safe, to love you with all my heart until the end of time. I've only ever had eyes for you, all this time I've only ever desired you. I have the pleasure now to call you my wife; this is the happiest moment of my life."

The pastor waited a moment after Bella finished her speech; both girls looked like they couldn't wait to get their hands on each other. The grip Alice had on Bella was getting tighter, and she was starting to pull her closer.

"Do you Mary Alice Cullen; take Isabella Marie Swan to be your wife?"

"I do" Alice smiled.

"And do you, Isabella Marie Swan, take Mary Alice Cullen to be your wife?"

Bella nodded her head, "I do"

The pastor smiled and looked to the audience before him, "May their days be long, and showered with love, and respect. And may all of us be blessed by love as it shines through them forever. It is now with great pleasure that I pronounce you Mary Alice and Isabella Cullen. You may kiss."

"Finally" Bella laughed.

Alice pulled Bella in for a kiss like no other, with all their family and friends watching before them. Shouts of joy and clapping could be heard from all around. The girls embraced and held each other tight as the cheers continued. This was the happiest moment of their lives, and only the beginning of forever.

"Mrs. Cullen, I do love the sound of that." Alice smiled and kissed Bella once more.

"I'm yours forever." Bella smiled.

The girls made their way down the aisle and into the house to continue their celebration. For the first time in a very long time, Bella let her defenses down. Allowing Edward, who remained behind as he continued playing the piano until everyone was inside, to finally be able to read her mind. He saw images from Bella's mind play in his own. When Bella was human, what it was like when she first saw Alice, how the two progressed in their relationship, and when Alice was taken away. Bella hadn't thought of her darkest days with Alice by her side, but of only the good. Edward could read just how deep Bella loved Alice, and how she had always loved her. Her mind was pure, and full of love for only Alice. He stopped playing the piano, and suddenly felt bad for ever getting in the way of the girls relationship.

Jasper could feel the love oozing from both of the girls, and it was a tad overwhelming for him. Their love was deep and intense, and it made Jasper realize Alice never felt that way for him. She had never felt that way about anyone except Bella. It almost felt as if he was intruding on Bella and Alice's relationship, even before Bella made an appearance. He hoped that the girls would be happy for the rest of their lives, and knew with the feelings he picked up on, that wouldn't be a problem.

The party continued throughout the rest of the day and into the night. All the focus was placed on Bella and Alice, who were inseparable the entire time. They danced, and thanked everyone for coming to their wedding. There was a cake, but only for the shape shifters and the pastor. The Irish coven even made an appearance, and apologized for what Maggie had done. Alice explained that it wasn't their fault and encouraged them to stay and enjoy the rest of the party. This was a happy day for the Cullens; they had gained a new daughter, and were truly happy for both Alice and Bella.

It was time now for the girls to leave for their honeymoon. They planned on being gone for quite some time, Bella wanted to show Alice everywhere she had been in her life, and their first stop was Biloxi. Emmett and Edward had a hard time stuffing Alice's Porsche with all of the suitcases she was bringing along with her. Carlisle and Esme wished them a good trip and promised their house would be looked after while they were gone. Rosalie and Danielle stood behind them waving at the girls as they got into the car. Jasper approached Danielle and embraced her as she waved the two girls off.

Alice started the engine, and put the car into drive. Her smile hadn't faded, nor had Bella's. "So Bella, are you ready to start the rest of our lives together?"

"I've always been ready. I was just waiting for you." Bella took hold of Alice's free hand.

And so the girls were off. It was only the beginning for the girls; they had the rest of eternity together. As time went by, Alice and Bella would learn that their love would always be everlasting. Unconditional love is without beginning, or end. Their love would go on, forever and always.

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><p><strong>AN: And so the story ends with the girls finally moving on where they left off in the first place. I'd like to thank everyone for reading, it's taken a long time to finally wrap it up, but I wanted to give this story the proper ending it deserved. Thank you everyone for reading, whether you loved it or hated it, you still read it. :) I don't know when I'll write anything again, but I already have something planned out in my head for the next fic. As far as this story goes, it is now complete.**


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